Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) Stock Price

Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT) had its target price reduced by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $20.00 to $15.50 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the ride-sharing company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 18.77% from the company’s current price.

LYFT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Lyft from $27.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Zephirin Group boosted their price target on Lyft from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Lyft from $21.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Lyft from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Lyft in a report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lyft presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.98.

Lyft Trading Down 6.7%

NASDAQ:LYFT opened at $13.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.00. Lyft has a one year low of $9.66 and a one year high of $25.54. The firm has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Lyft announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 10th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the ride-sharing company to reacquire up to 15.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Lyft

In related news, Director David Lawee sold 6,578 shares of Lyft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.55, for a total value of $148,333.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 104,460 shares in the company, valued at $2,355,573. This trade represents a 5.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Stephen W. Hope sold 4,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.30, for a total transaction of $107,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 311,909 shares in the company, valued at $6,955,570.70. The trade was a 1.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 187,443 shares of company stock worth $4,178,618 over the last ninety days. 3.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lyft

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Lyft by 1,242.2% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 2,161 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lyft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lyft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Lyft by 171.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,174 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 1,374 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lyft in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Lyft

Here are the key news stories impacting Lyft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $1.0 billion share repurchase (up to ~15% of float) signals management believes the stock is undervalued — supportive for EPS/share if executed. Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 initiatives (partnerships and rewards) are bringing higher‑value riders and grew business-travel activations ~26% YoY — evidence of revenue mix improvement. Partnerships Drive Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/short‑term view: some traders see LYFT as oversold and testing support, which could prompt a bounce if volume subsides. Technical Bottom View
• Neutral Sentiment: Management defended consumer demand on the call and highlighted profitable growth signals — mixed messaging as guidance tempers optimism. Earnings Call Takeaways
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and softer forward profitability/ride-growth outlook triggered a heavy selloff and analyst concern that Lyft’s 2027 targets are “execution‑heavy.” This is the principal driver of today’s weakness. Analyst Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple banks trimmed price targets and reiterated cautious/hold views after the print — increases near‑term downside risk from analyst sentiment and limits near‑term buying. Price Target Cuts & Sales Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/safety headlines after separate fatal attacks on drivers in Cleveland add operational and PR risk that can pressure user/driver sentiment, though this is more of a reputational than a near‑term financial issue. Safety Incidents

About Lyft

Lyft, Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT) operates a peer-to-peer ridesharing platform that connects passengers with drivers through a mobile application. Since its founding in 2012, the company has expanded beyond traditional ride-hailing to include bike and electric scooter rentals, while also offering rental cars and public transit options in select markets. Lyft’s platform uses GPS mapping and dynamic pricing algorithms to optimize driver-passenger matches and route efficiency.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Lyft primarily serves urban and suburban markets across the United States and Canada.