Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday. UBS Group decreased 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. Oppenheimer lifted their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $61.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.29.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Performance

JEF stock traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.60. 625,440 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,027,847. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1-year low of $35.53 and a 1-year high of $71.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.37. The firm has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.13. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.56% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Boston Common Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,011,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 927.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 26,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after buying an additional 23,474 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 245.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 651,216 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,603,000 after acquiring an additional 462,546 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 57,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,770,000 after acquiring an additional 37,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% during the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 50,453 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,301,000 after acquiring an additional 21,085 shares during the period. 60.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Jefferies Financial Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS cut its price target for JEF from $76 to $59 but kept a “Buy” rating, leaving a sizable implied upside versus the current share level and providing some institutional support for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The Goldman Sachs Group reduced its JEF price target to $54 (from $61) while maintaining a “Buy” rating — a downward revision in expectations that still signals conviction but lowers consensus upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies announced it will release Q1 results on March 25, 2026; the upcoming report is a near‑term catalyst that could swing the stock materially depending on revenue, margins and any management commentary. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded JEF from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” a clear negative signal for retail and some institutional investors that can accelerate selling pressure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The stock reached a new 1‑year low after recent analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts, highlighting how revisions to expectations have already weighed on the share price. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple shareholder law firms (e.g., Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay & Murray, Frank R. Cruz) have publicized investigations into Jefferies, keeping legal and regulatory risk front‑and‑center — a significant overhang that can deter buyers until the scope/impact is clarified. Article Title Article Title

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.