Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $42.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $97.00 to $74.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $54.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.14.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE JEF opened at $45.74 on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.59.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.19). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.61% and a return on equity of 7.83%. The business had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jefferies Financial Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Media reports say Jefferies is facing takeover interest, which can lift the stock by creating M&A premium expectations and drawing investor attention. Jefferies Faces Probes And Takeover Interest As Investors Weigh Trade Offs
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies’ conferences continue to attract companies and investor one‑on‑one meetings (example: Immix Biopharma at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference), supporting fee income and deal visibility. Immix Biopharma to Host Investor Meetings at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies analysts remain active publishing coverage (buy/hold calls across UK and tech names such as AO World and Wise); this underscores recurring research revenue but has limited direct, immediate effect on JEF’s stock. AO World: Premium Growth Profile and Market Share Gains Underpin Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategist commentary from Jefferies on regional markets (e.g., Christopher Wood on India/Pakistan) highlights the firm’s research reach — positive for brand but not a direct driver of JEF shares. India bull Chris Wood likes Pakistan stock market around IMF bailout cycles
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investor investigation related to Jefferies, a development that raises litigation risk and can pressure the stock while uncertainty persists. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. – JEF
• Negative Sentiment: Reports also describe regulatory probes into Jefferies — regulatory scrutiny increases execution risk and can mute upside until resolved. Jefferies Faces Probes And Takeover Interest As Investors Weigh Trade Offs

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.