Brokerages Set Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) PT at $62.62

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $62.6250.

JEF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Jefferies Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies priced an €850 million offering of 4.500% senior notes due 2033, a move that can strengthen liquidity and extend the company’s funding profile. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies also continued to generate trading and research headlines, including fresh analyst coverage on several companies, which reflects ongoing activity in its investment banking and research franchise. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have also been circulating higher price targets for JEF, suggesting some underlying confidence in the stock’s valuation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest drag is a report that Jefferies is facing DOJ and SEC scrutiny over its exposure to First Brands, raising the risk of legal, regulatory, and reputational damage. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, a securities fraud investigation notice from Block & Leviton adds to investor caution and may keep pressure on the shares until more clarity emerges. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2.5% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 308,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,439,000 after purchasing an additional 7,453 shares during the period. Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $210,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 300.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 77.6% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 665.4% in the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 692 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $52.55 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $54.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12-month low of $35.53 and a 12-month high of $71.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68 and a beta of 1.54.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 7.58%.Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 35.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 18th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides a range of investment banking, capital markets and asset management services to corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Through its core platform, Jefferies offers advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity underwriting, restructuring and recapitalization. The firm also operates a global sales and trading business covering equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products, complemented by equity research and macroeconomic analysis.

In addition to its capital markets franchise, Jefferies maintains a growing asset management division that delivers customized investment solutions across public and private markets.