Oppenheimer Raises Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $56.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price target increased by Oppenheimer from $54.00 to $56.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Jefferies Financial Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $44.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 2.2 %

JEF stock opened at $44.86 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.55. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $28.81 and a fifty-two week high of $47.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.77 and a beta of 1.36.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.11. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 4.41% and a net margin of 5.90%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.36%.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,314,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $666,165,525. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 105.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.