Oppenheimer Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Stock Price

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its target price cut by research analysts at Oppenheimer from $82.00 to $81.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 0.80% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock traded up $1.34 on Friday, reaching $80.36. 291,766 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 960,912. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.51 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.21 and a 200 day moving average of $63.38. Jefferies Financial Group has a 52 week low of $38.77 and a 52 week high of $82.04.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In related news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total value of $28,904,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,971,288 shares in the company, valued at $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 200,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.09, for a total value of $12,618,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 604,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,144,592.54. This represents a 24.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151 in the last quarter. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth $48,000. 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.