Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Jefferies Financial Group to “Buy” from “Hold.” However, the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold,” with two Buy ratings and five Hold ratings and an average price target of $56.86.
• JEF shares opened at $44.39, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages near $51, with a 12-month trading range of $35.53 to $66.60.
• Jefferies authorized a $250 million share buyback, allowing repurchases of up to 2% of outstanding shares; institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on JEF. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Capital One Financial set a $50.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $71.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.86.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $44.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.15 and a 200-day moving average of $51.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Jefferies Financial Group has a twelve month low of $35.53 and a twelve month high of $66.60.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buy back $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2% of its stock through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 86.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,671 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 351,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,077,000 after purchasing an additional 42,679 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 182,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,143,000 after purchasing an additional 10,264 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 77.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 68,577 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,427,000 after purchasing an additional 29,899 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides investment banking, capital markets, asset management and other financial services to corporations, institutional investors, governments and individual clients. Its principal operating business is Jefferies Group, an investment banking and securities firm.

Jefferies provides advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and other strategic transactions, along with equity and debt underwriting, sales and trading, research, prime brokerage and securities services.

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