Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.7143.

JEF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st.

Jefferies Financial Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies has been promoting a refreshed stance on valuation discipline and gained attention for its Russell 1000 positioning, which investors could view as a constructive strategic message for long?term positioning. Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) Fresh Stance Lifts Russell 1000 Focus On Valuation Discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ research/coverage activity remains active — analysts have maintained or reiterated ratings on several European and software names (e.g., Amadeus, Mobico), which underscores ongoing fee?generating research and advisory work but has limited immediate impact on JEF’s share price. Amadeus: Robust Q4 Beat and Credible Growth Outlook Underpin Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: More analyst actions (Buys/Holds) on other companies and sector commentary (software, transport, etc.) emphasize Jefferies’ core brokerage/research franchise but are not direct drivers of its stock today. Mobico: Stronger-Than-Expected EBIT and Structurally Improved Business Undervalued at 10x FY25 EV/EBIT
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reported roughly £100m (~$135m) of exposure to Market Financial Solutions (MFS), a UK mortgage financier that entered insolvency — a direct hit to asset/credit exposures and a clear near?term catalyst for share weakness. Jefferies holds $135 million exposure to collapsed UK lender MFS, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: An investor law firm (Pomerantz) opened an investigation into Jefferies on behalf of shareholders, raising the prospect of litigation or reputational pressure that can weigh on stock multiples while unresolved. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. – JEF
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, investors have sued a Jefferies fund over losses tied to the collapse of First Brands, adding to a string of legal and fund?related disputes that increase uncertainty about potential losses or reputational damage. Jefferies Fund Sued by Investors Over First Brands Collapse

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 9.6%

NYSE JEF opened at $44.26 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $59.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.58. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $39.28 and a one year high of $71.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 6.56%.The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 56.54%.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.