Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Given New $59.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its target price cut by UBS Group from $76.00 to $59.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $61.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.29.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 7.0%

NYSE:JEF opened at $36.00 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 1.52. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $35.53 and a one year high of $71.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $55.51 and a 200-day moving average of $58.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.13. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 6.56%.The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.54%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position 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 valued at $246,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211,375 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 696.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,412,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $211,460,000 after purchasing an additional 2,984,055 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $145,584,000. Eminence Capital LP lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 129.7% in the third quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,358,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $219,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,896,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Munro Partners purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $60,470,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major banks cut price targets but kept Buy ratings, implying continued institutional confidence and sizeable upside from current levels; UBS cut its target to $59 (from $76) and Goldman lowered its target to $54 (from $61). UBS Price Target Cut Goldman Price Target Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies confirmed it will report Q1 results after the close on March 25 — a scheduled catalyst that could drive short‑term volatility and reprice expectations. Q1 Release Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have launched or continued investigations into Jefferies (securities‑fraud shareholder probes and related claims), heightening legal risk and potential liability. Firms publicizing inquiries include Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay & Murray, and the Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz. Pomerantz Notice Glancy Notice Frank Cruz Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley downgraded JEF to Equal‑weight, citing credit and legal risks — a direct sell‑side signal that likely pressured sentiment and contributed to the decline. Morgan Stanley Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Press reports note Jefferies is facing a First Brands lawsuit and related probes — another headline risk that can increase uncertainty around potential liabilities and management distraction. First Brands Lawsuit

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.