Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Shares Purchased by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 284.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 226,770 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 167,817 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.11% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $14,835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 16.4% in the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 909,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $59,519,000 after purchasing an additional 128,255 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $949,000. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $313,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 186.8% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 57,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,770,000 after buying an additional 37,530 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on JEF. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.71.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 9.6%

Shares of JEF opened at $44.26 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.28 and a 1 year high of $71.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 1.50.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.54%.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

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.