Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.45 EPS

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.45), FiscalAI reports. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.56% and a return on equity of 7.27%. The business had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.02 billion.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.3%

JEF stock traded down $0.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.62. 4,369,486 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,124,175. 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 $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $51.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.82. The company has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.00 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on JEF shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $42.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $97.00 to $74.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Jefferies Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.14.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JEF. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $224,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,325,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 159.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 226,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,798,000 after purchasing an additional 17,935 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Jefferies Financial Group by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 25,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,420,000 after purchasing an additional 2,751 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Takeover speculation from Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) pushed JEF sharply higher as reports said SMFG is exploring a possible acquisition, supporting upside on takeover premium expectations. Japan’s SMFG explores possible takeover of Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies is set to report Q1 results after the close (Mar 25); several analysts revised forecasts ahead of the call, which raises the potential for a meaningful post‑earnings move either direction. Jefferies Financial Likely To Report Higher Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate advisory business note — Jefferies said a Mingledorff deal expands Home Depot‑SRS total addressable market by ~$100B, a potential positive for fee revenue if closed/executed. Jefferies says Mingledorff’s deal expands Home Depot-SRS’ TAM by $100B
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets and Bloomberg pushed back on immediate deal chances, reporting SMFG has “no immediate takeover plan,” which trimmed the takeover‑driven gains and increased volatility. Jefferies shares cut gains on report Japan’s SMFG has no immediate takeover plan
• Negative Sentiment: An investor class‑action inquiry by Pomerantz LLP was announced, which can weigh on sentiment and create legal/expense overhangs until resolved. Pomerantz investigating claims on behalf of Jefferies investors
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets lowered its price target on JEF to $42, signaling more cautious analyst sentiment and likely contributing to downward pressure on the shares. BMO lowers Jefferies Financial Group price target to $42

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.