Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Reaches New 12-Month High at $54.84

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $54.84 and last traded at $54.83, with a volume of 22407 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 5.37% and a net margin of 7.82%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 59.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 66.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total transaction of $2,546,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 2,591,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $119,979,505. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total value of $2,546,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 2,591,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $119,979,505. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total transaction of $65,250,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,314,150 shares in the company, valued at $666,165,525. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the 2nd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. HMS Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. HMS Capital Management LLC now owns 10,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.