UBS Group Cuts Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Price Target to $59.00

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its target price trimmed by UBS Group from $76.00 to $59.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on JEF. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $61.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley cut Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised 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 note on Thursday, December 11th. Three investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jefferies Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of JEF stock opened at $36.32 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.15. 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 1-year low of $35.53 and a 1-year high of $71.04. The firm has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JEF. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the second quarter worth approximately $302,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 4.2% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 19.1% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Jefferies Financial Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer cut its price target to $74 from $97 but kept an “outperform” rating, still implying large upside vs. the current share price. Oppenheimer Lowers PT to $74
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its target to $59 (from $76) but maintained a “buy” rating — a reduction in optimism but not a cut to recommendation. UBS Lowers PT to $59
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs trimmed its target to $54 (from $61) while retaining a “buy” stance, signaling lower near‑term expectations from a major bank but continued conviction in longer‑term value. Goldman Cuts PT to $54
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded JEF from “hold” to “strong sell,” increasing selling pressure and signaling short‑term analyst skepticism. Zacks Downgrades to Strong Sell TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple shareholder lawsuits and continued securities‑fraud investigations (press releases from Pomerantz, Glancy Prongay & Murray, and other firms) raise legal and reputational risk that could pressure the stock and increase potential liabilities. Pomerantz Investigation Glancy Prongay & Murray
• Negative Sentiment: JEF hit a new 1‑year low following recent analyst downgrades, highlighting increased short‑term downside risk and reduced analyst confidence. 1‑Year Low After Downgrade

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.