The Goldman Sachs Group Has Lowered Expectations for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Stock Price

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs cut Jefferies’ price target from $67 to $57 but maintained a “buy” rating, implying approximately 20.9% upside from the stock’s $47.15 opening price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Jefferies has a consensus “hold” rating and an average price target of $60.62, with recent targets ranging from $50 to $61.
• Jefferies exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.08 EPS and $2.22 billion in revenue, while its board authorized a $250 million share-repurchase program covering up to 2% of outstanding shares.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $67.00 to $57.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the financial services provider's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 20.88% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on JEF. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Loop Capital set a $60.00 target price on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $57.00 to $50.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.62.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:JEF opened at $47.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $53.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.97. Jefferies Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $35.53 and a fifty-two week high of $69.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Jefferies Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 7.58%.The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.20 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 3.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $3,509,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,471,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 378.7% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $21,669,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,941,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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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