Algert Global LLC Buys 44,454 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Algert Global LLC increased its stake in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 176,880 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 44,454 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $11,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the third quarter worth $30,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 34.7% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 741 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 159.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer cut its price target to $74 from $97 but kept an “outperform” rating, still implying large upside vs. the current share price. Oppenheimer Lowers PT to $74
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its target to $59 (from $76) but maintained a “buy” rating — a reduction in optimism but not a cut to recommendation. UBS Lowers PT to $59
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs trimmed its target to $54 (from $61) while retaining a “buy” stance, signaling lower near‑term expectations from a major bank but continued conviction in longer‑term value. Goldman Cuts PT to $54
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded JEF from “hold” to “strong sell,” increasing selling pressure and signaling short‑term analyst skepticism. Zacks Downgrades to Strong Sell TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple shareholder lawsuits and continued securities‑fraud investigations (press releases from Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay & Murray, and other firms) raise legal and reputational risk that could pressure the stock and increase potential liabilities. Pomerantz Investigation Glancy Prongay & Murray
• Negative Sentiment: JEF hit a new 1‑year low following recent analyst downgrades, highlighting increased short‑term downside risk and reduced analyst confidence. 1‑Year Low After Downgrade

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $36.32 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $54.97 and its 200 day moving average is $58.10. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.53 and a 52 week high of $71.04. 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 (NYSE:JEF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 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 analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.56% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Sell-side 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on JEF shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $61.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

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.