Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 1,466,781 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 28% from the previous session’s volume of 1,143,339 shares.The stock last traded at $55.00 and had previously closed at $55.21.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $51.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.71 and a beta of 1.34.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 5.37% and a net margin of 7.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% in the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.