Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) CEO Sells $28,904,000.00 in Stock

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total transaction of $28,904,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $70.42 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.42. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.16 and a twelve month high of $72.76. The company has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a PE ratio of 30.09 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.40% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $59.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc operates as an investment banking and capital markets firm in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Investment Banking and Capital Markets, and Asset Management. It provides investment banking, advisory services with respect to mergers or acquisitions, debt financing, restructurings or recapitalizations, and private capital advisory transactions; underwriting and placement services related to corporate debt, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, equity and equity-linked securities, and loan syndication services; and corporate lending services.