Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Receives $62.62 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $62.6250.

JEF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research raised Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Loop Capital set a $60.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday, June 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Nvwm LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE JEF traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $52.04. 1,207,483 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,598,956. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $54.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.61.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 9.23%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.