Jefferies Financial Group Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:JEF)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEFGet Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors bought 9,775 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 161% compared to the average volume of 3,740 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Elequin Capital LP grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% in the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% in the 1st quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 159.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 48.8% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 3,577.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 993 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $51.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.20. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $39.28 and a fifty-two week high of $82.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEFGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.25% and a net margin of 7.40%.The business’s revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 54.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $69.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $74.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $74.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $84.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.83.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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