Traders Purchase Large Volume of Jefferies Financial Group Call Options (NYSE:JEF)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders bought 6,035 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 448% compared to the average daily volume of 1,102 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JEF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:JEF traded up $1.22 on Monday, reaching $55.06. 610,303 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,080,198. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.42 and a beta of 1.34. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1-year low of $31.38 and a 1-year high of $55.36. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $47.11 and its 200-day moving average is $43.83.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 5.37%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 59.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from Jefferies Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 19th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.30%.

Insider Transactions at Jefferies Financial Group

In other news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total value of $2,546,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 2,591,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,979,505. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Jefferies Financial Group news, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 1,500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $65,250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,314,150 shares in the company, valued at $666,165,525. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Brian P. Friedman sold 55,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.30, for a total value of $2,546,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 2,591,350 shares in the company, valued at $119,979,505. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 20.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.7% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1,993.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.