Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $82.09 and last traded at $81.83, with a volume of 141213 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $81.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on JEF shares. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.6 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.18 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total value of $16,125,655.20. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 1,632,277 shares in the company, valued at $106,424,460.40. This trade represents a 13.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 3.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 6,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.5% in the third quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 14,824 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 2.0% during the second quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 13,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.6% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,765 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

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.