Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 98,558 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 6.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,475,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 98,558 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.72% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $96,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 927.8% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 26,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,701,000 after buying an additional 23,474 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 45,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,995,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $268,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,481,993 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,952,000 after acquiring an additional 532,923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JEF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $69.00 to $55.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $55.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.71.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of JEF stock opened at $60.35 on Tuesday. 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 $12.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33 and a beta of 1.51. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.28 and a 52 week high of $77.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.08.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.56% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 56.54%.

Key Jefferies Financial Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Jefferies posted strong Q4 2025 results, which supports earnings momentum and the firm’s revenue growth narrative. Jefferies Financial Group Posts Strong Q4 2025 Results Amid Legal Scrutiny
• Positive Sentiment: Business expansion: Jefferies is pushing into Japan and expanding its credit platform, which could drive future fee and trading revenue growth. That strategic growth angle is constructive for medium-term fundamentals. Jefferies Expands Japan Push And Credit Platform While Valuation Looks Full
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies research activity — the firm’s analysts continue to publish coverage and ratings (examples: maintained Buy on Galderma; new/maintained coverage on industrials and psychedelics names), reflecting ongoing investment-banking and research flow but with limited direct impact on JEF’s share value. Galderma Group AG: Buy Rating Driven by Underappreciated Nemluvio Peak Sales and Pipeline Upside Donaldson: Accretive Facet Filtration Acquisition Strengthens Margins, Aftermarket Exposure, and Supports Buy Rating Cybin: Late-Stage Psychedelic Pipeline, Key 2026 Clinical Catalysts, and Strategic Positioning Support Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market commentary from Jefferies — the firm’s India/US trade analysis has influenced sector positioning (e.g., portfolio tweaks favoring metals and certain exporters). This showcases Jefferies’ market influence but is an indirect factor for JEF shares. India-US Trade Deal: Jefferies tweaks model stock portfolio, lists gainers US trade deal effect! Adani stocks jump up to 13%, Jefferies says key beneficiary
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns — coverage notes that Jefferies’ valuation looks full, which can make the stock vulnerable to downside if growth stalls or sentiment weakens. Jefferies Expands Japan Push And Credit Platform While Valuation Looks Full
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory scrutiny — media coverage highlights legal scrutiny alongside the quarter’s results; such headlines typically increase perceived risk and can pressure the multiple investors are willing to pay. Jefferies Financial Group Posts Strong Q4 2025 Results Amid Legal Scrutiny

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.