Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.7143.

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

Key Headlines Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies issued a public response defending its position, saying the loan in question was non‑recourse, was diligenced by the bank, and that the Point Bonita fund acted in good faith — a statement that could limit perceived legal exposure or calm some investors. Jefferies Comments on Western Alliance Bank Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: PhysicsWallah will join a Jefferies‑led investor meeting on March 12 — a routine investor relations/deal engagement that is unlikely to move JEF shares materially but shows ongoing capital‑markets activity. PhysicsWallah to Join Jefferies-Led Investor Meet on March 12
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary assessing JEF valuation after the recent share weakness highlights that analyst targets remain well above current levels — useful context for longer‑term investors but secondary to the immediate legal headlines. Assessing Jefferies Financial Group (JEF) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Western Alliance sued Jefferies after recording a ~$126M charge‑off tied to a loan collateralized by receivables from First Brands; the suit alleges Jefferies declined payment under a forbearance arrangement — this legal claim is the primary near‑term catalyst driving the stock decline and higher trading volume. $126M Payment Dispute Sparks Western Alliance Lawsuit Against Jefferies
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP opened an investor investigation into Jefferies — a potential class‑action inquiry that can increase legal costs, create settlement risk, and sustain negative headlines even if the underlying exposure is limited. Pomerantz Investigates Jefferies Investors

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 13.7%

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $38.22 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51 and a beta of 1.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $38.17 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.54%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

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

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.