The Goldman Sachs Group Boosts Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $62.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $55.00 to $62.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.54% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on JEF. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $75.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.75.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:JEF opened at $52.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70 and a beta of 1.47. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $39.28 and a one year high of $82.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.40.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.28). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 10.57%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Elequin Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 117.9% during the first quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 193.8% during the first quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. 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.