Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.7143.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $78.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Nvwm LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies has been promoting a refreshed stance on valuation discipline and gained attention for its Russell 1000 positioning, which investors could view as a constructive strategic message for long‑term positioning. Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) Fresh Stance Lifts Russell 1000 Focus On Valuation Discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ research/coverage activity remains active — analysts have maintained or reiterated ratings on several European and software names (e.g., Amadeus, Mobico), which underscores ongoing fee‑generating research and advisory work but has limited immediate impact on JEF’s share price. Amadeus: Robust Q4 Beat and Credible Growth Outlook Underpin Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: More analyst actions (Buys/Holds) on other companies and sector commentary (software, transport, etc.) emphasize Jefferies’ core brokerage/research franchise but are not direct drivers of its stock today. Mobico: Stronger-Than-Expected EBIT and Structurally Improved Business Undervalued at 10x FY25 EV/EBIT
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reported roughly £100m (~$135m) of exposure to Market Financial Solutions (MFS), a UK mortgage financier that entered insolvency — a direct hit to asset/credit exposures and a clear near‑term catalyst for share weakness. Jefferies holds $135 million exposure to collapsed UK lender MFS, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: An investor law firm (Pomerantz) opened an investigation into Jefferies on behalf of shareholders, raising the prospect of litigation or reputational pressure that can weigh on stock multiples while unresolved. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. – JEF
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, investors have sued a Jefferies fund over losses tied to the collapse of First Brands, adding to a string of legal and fund‑related disputes that increase uncertainty about potential losses or reputational damage. Jefferies Fund Sued by Investors Over First Brands Collapse

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JEF opened at $44.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 1.52. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.58. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $71.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during 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%.Jefferies Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s payout ratio is 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.