Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Given New $49.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley cut Jefferies’ price target from $50 to $49 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying roughly 3.9% upside from the $47.15 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Jefferies has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $60.50, with recent target reductions from BMO and Goldman Sachs.
• Jefferies recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.08 in EPS and $2.22 billion in revenue, while its board approved a $250 million share buyback covering up to 2% of outstanding shares.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $49.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential upside of 3.91% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, June 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.50.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $47.15 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $53.06 and its 200 day moving average is $50.97. Jefferies Financial Group has a one year low of $35.53 and a one year high of $69.93. The firm has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.17 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 7.58%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.97 EPS for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $834,947,000. Eminence Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,812,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $236,268,000 after buying an additional 454,054 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,942,554 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $182,390,000 after buying an additional 24,171 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,666,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $110,015,000 after buying an additional 58,585 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $127,242,000. Institutional investors 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: Quarterly earnings beat expectations: Jefferies reported third-quarter diluted EPS of $1.08, up from $1.01 a year earlier and above the roughly $1.00–$1.04 analyst estimates. Revenue increased to $2.22 billion, slightly exceeding the $2.20 billion consensus. Net earnings attributable to common shareholders rose 16% to $260.6 million. Jefferies Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Investment banking growth remained a key driver: Coverage highlighted stronger investment banking revenue and record banking activity, indicating continued momentum in one of Jefferies’ most important businesses. Jefferies 3Q Profit Rises, Driven by Investment Banking Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, or $1.60 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 3.4%. The dividend is payable November 25 to shareholders of record November 16. Jefferies dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed market reaction: Jefferies shares slipped after hours even though profit, EPS and revenue exceeded estimates. The decline suggests investors may have been focused on the size and sustainability of the beat, forward conditions in capital markets, or already-high expectations. Jefferies Stock Falls Despite Earnings Beat and Record Banking Revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Other Jefferies research activity is not a direct JEF catalyst: Recent analyst calls on BSE, PB Fintech, Nike, Roblox and other companies demonstrate ongoing research activity but have limited immediate impact on Jefferies Financial Group’s own fundamentals.

About Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group Inc NYSE: JEF is a diversified financial services company that provides investment banking, capital markets, asset management and wealth management services. Its principal operating business, Jefferies, advises companies, governments and institutional investors on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, restructuring and other strategic transactions.

Through its investment banking and securities operations, Jefferies offers equity and fixed-income underwriting, sales and trading, research, prime brokerage and related services.

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