Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Reaches New 52-Week Low After Analyst Downgrade

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $76.00 to $59.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group traded as low as $35.53 and last traded at $35.9950, with a volume of 5042049 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.71.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on JEF. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $61.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.29.

More Jefferies Financial Group News

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 422.0% in 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 buying an additional 3,211,375 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 696.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,412,301 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $211,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,984,055 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $145,584,000. Eminence Capital LP lifted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 129.7% in the 3rd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,358,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $219,717,000 after acquiring an additional 1,896,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Munro Partners bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $60,470,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $55.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 6.56%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. Analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.54%.

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.