The Goldman Sachs Group Lowers Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $54.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price objective cut by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $61.00 to $54.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 48.27% from the stock’s current price.

JEF has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Three equities 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 price target of $65.71.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:JEF traded down $2.29 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $36.42. 1,998,652 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,013,994. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $35.72 and a 12 month high of $71.04. The stock has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $56.03 and a 200 day moving average of $58.53.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.56% and a return on equity of 7.27%. Jefferies Financial Group’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JEF. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 422.0% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,972,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $246,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211,375 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 2,984,055 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $145,584,000. Eminence Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $219,717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,896,547 shares during the period. Finally, Munro Partners acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,470,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies set its Q1 2026 earnings release for March 25 (after the market close) — a near‑term event that could reset sentiment depending on results and commentary. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ research continues to generate thematic industry calls (e.g., warnings on stablecoins’ impact to U.S. banks); these are firm research outputs and don’t directly affect JEF’s fundamentals but reflect the firm’s market activity and revenue mix. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP announced a continuing securities‑fraud investigation into Jefferies, seeking investors who lost money — these types of investigations raise legal risk and potential liability over prior disclosures. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The Law Offices of Frank R. Cruz similarly publicized an investigation on behalf of Jefferies investors, reinforcing the appearance of mounting shareholder litigation interest tied to prior disclosures. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP also launched an investor investigation into Jefferies, adding another plaintiff‑side firm soliciting potential claimants — increases probability of class actions and related defense costs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley downgraded JEF to Equalweight, citing credit and legal risks — a notable sell‑side change that can reduce demand from institutional investors and pressure the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage in business press highlights a lawsuit and probes (First Brands suit) alongside the sliding share price, underscoring mounting legal headlines that are likely weighing on investor confidence. Read More.

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.