27,088 Shares in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Bought by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,124,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $286,476,000. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,718,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 89,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,515,000 after buying an additional 28,011 shares during the last quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,337,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,504,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $154,153,000 after acquiring an additional 167,270 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE:JEF opened at $79.56 on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.77 and a 12-month high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00 and a beta of 1.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at $38,144,592.54. This trade represents a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. 20.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th.

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.