UBS Group Initiates Coverage on Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF)

Equities researchers at UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) in a research note issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.27% from the stock’s current price.

JEF has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of JEF stock opened at $59.68 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.07. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $31.38 and a 12 month high of $60.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97 and a beta of 1.32.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 59.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $5,419,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 92.2% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 376,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,608,000 after purchasing an additional 180,702 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 1,386.7% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 141,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,064,000 after purchasing an additional 132,414 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter worth about $2,722,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $726,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.