Investors Purchase High Volume of Jefferies Financial Group Call Options (NYSE:JEF)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 24,312 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 680% compared to the average daily volume of 3,115 call options.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 5.9%

Shares of NYSE:JEF traded up $2.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $48.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 908,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,868,593. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $35.53 and a 12 month high of $71.04. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.61% and a return on equity of 7.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.57 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.05%.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on JEF shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $42.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.14.

Trending Headlines about Jefferies Financial Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Jefferies Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies priced $1.1 billion of 5.125% senior notes due 2031, locking in multi‑year, fixed‑rate funding that reduces near‑term refinancing risk and supports liquidity. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release with terms and offering size provides detail for investors assessing impact on the balance sheet and timing of cash flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ research desk continues active coverage and analyst notes (e.g., ATOSS, SAP, Computacenter), which underscores ongoing fee and trading activity but has limited direct bearing on JEF’s corporate finances. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies published a credit action downgrading a Prudential corporate bond (PFH) — a reminder the firm is active in credit markets, but this is peripheral to JEF’s equity valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The $1.1B issuance increases JEF’s gross debt and will add fixed interest expense; given an existing debt‑to‑equity around 1.87, investors may view higher leverage as a potential headwind for valuation and net margin unless proceeds are used to retire more expensive debt or generate higher‑return deployment.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides a range of investment banking, capital markets and asset management services to corporations, governments and institutional investors worldwide. Through its core platform, Jefferies offers advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity underwriting, restructuring and recapitalization. The firm also operates a global sales and trading business covering equities, fixed income and foreign exchange products, complemented by equity research and macroeconomic analysis.

In addition to its capital markets franchise, Jefferies maintains a growing asset management division that delivers customized investment solutions across public and private markets.