VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 26,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,299,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JEF. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $834,947,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4,853.0% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,886,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $444,157,000 after acquiring an additional 8,707,273 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 422.0% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,972,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $246,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211,375 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 696.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,412,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $211,460,000 after purchasing an additional 2,984,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $127,242,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: A Jefferies-linked fund obtained an asset-freezing order against Radiant World, potentially helping preserve assets tied to reported exposure of nearly $500 million. This may improve recovery prospects, although the situation remains unresolved. Jefferies fund wins Singapore asset freeze against Radiant World
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies is reportedly winding down its outsourced fixed-income trading business. The move could reduce operational and counterparty risk, but it may also limit revenue opportunities and signal a strategic pullback. Jefferies to Wind Down Outsourced Fixed-Income Trading Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies continues to promote investor meetings and publish bullish research on companies including LG Electronics India, Adani Enterprises and Vodafone Idea. These activities support its investment-banking and research franchise, but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations for JEF. LG Electronics India in Jefferies’ pole position
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target on JEF from $65 to $61 and maintained a Neutral rating, while BMO cut its target from $60 to $57 and retained a Market Perform rating. The revisions suggest more cautious views on valuation and earnings prospects. Jefferies’ latest quarterly results also missed consensus estimates for earnings and revenue, adding pressure to sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that a Jefferies-linked trade-finance fund had substantial Radiant World exposure have renewed concerns about potential credit losses, legal costs and reputational risk for the broader group. Jefferies-linked fund faces reported Radiant exposure

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JEF shares. Capital One Financial set a $57.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $60.00 to $57.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Loop Capital set a $60.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, June 8th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.62.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF opened at $51.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.70. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 7.58%.The business’s revenue was up 35.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Jefferies Financial Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 24th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc (NYSE:JEF) is a diversified financial services company that provides investment banking, capital markets, asset management and wealth management services. Its principal operating business, Jefferies, advises companies, governments and institutional investors on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, restructuring and other strategic transactions.

Through its investment banking and securities operations, Jefferies offers equity and fixed-income underwriting, sales and trading, research, prime brokerage and related services.