Bard Financial Services Inc. Cuts Position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)

Bard Financial Services Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 750 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $1,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 68.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 1,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 1.4 %

JEF traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $82.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,062,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,515. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.77 and a 52-week high of $82.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $75.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $16.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.09 and a beta of 1.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Brian P. Friedman sold 247,326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.20, for a total transaction of $16,125,655.20. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 1,632,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $106,424,460.40. This represents a 13.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard B. Handler sold 400,000 shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.26, for a total transaction of $28,904,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,971,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,081,825,270.88. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,286,923 shares of company stock valued at $88,999,151. Insiders own 20.40% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group 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.