Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Jefferies Financial Group from “buy” to “hold.” Other analysts have also reduced price targets, resulting in a consensus “hold” rating and an average target of $56.86.
• JEF opened at $44.79, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, with a market capitalization of approximately $8.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 12.27.
• The company authorized a $250 million share buyback, allowing repurchases of up to 2% of outstanding shares; institutional investors own about 60.88% of the stock.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on JEF. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $71.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $50.00 price objective on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.86.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 0.0%

Jefferies Financial Group stock opened at $44.79 on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1-year low of $35.53 and a 1-year high of $66.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.57. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $50.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09.

Jefferies Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that allows the company to buy back $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,509,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 378.7% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 228,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,407,000 after buying an additional 180,553 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $31,471,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $21,669,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,941,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc is a diversified financial services company that provides investment banking, capital markets, asset management and other financial services to corporations, institutional investors, governments and individual clients. Its principal operating business is Jefferies Group, an investment banking and securities firm.

Jefferies provides advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and other strategic transactions, along with equity and debt underwriting, sales and trading, research, prime brokerage and securities services.

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