Altfest L J & Co. Inc. Makes New Investment in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Altfest L J & Co. bought a new position of 30,578 Jefferies shares in Q4, valued at about $1.895 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 60.88% of JEF.
• Jefferies reported quarterly EPS of $0.70 (missing the $0.89 consensus) despite 26.6% revenue growth, and faces regulatory probes and an investor investigation amid takeover interest, while analysts' ratings remain mixed with a consensus "Hold" and a $57.14 target.

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 30,578 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,895,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 10,546 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $690,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 34.7% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 741 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 15,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 11.2% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,159 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE JEF opened at $45.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $46.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.59. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.53 and a 1 year high of $71.04. The company has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 1.52.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.19). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 6.61% and a return on equity of 7.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. Jefferies Financial Group's revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

Trending Headlines about Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Media reports say Jefferies is facing takeover interest, which can lift the stock by creating M&A premium expectations and drawing investor attention. Jefferies Faces Probes And Takeover Interest As Investors Weigh Trade Offs
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies’ conferences continue to attract companies and investor one‑on‑one meetings (example: Immix Biopharma at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference), supporting fee income and deal visibility. Immix Biopharma to Host Investor Meetings at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies analysts remain active publishing coverage (buy/hold calls across UK and tech names such as AO World and Wise); this underscores recurring research revenue but has limited direct, immediate effect on JEF’s stock. AO World: Premium Growth Profile and Market Share Gains Underpin Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategist commentary from Jefferies on regional markets (e.g., Christopher Wood on India/Pakistan) highlights the firm’s research reach — positive for brand but not a direct driver of JEF shares. India bull Chris Wood likes Pakistan stock market around IMF bailout cycles
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investor investigation related to Jefferies, a development that raises litigation risk and can pressure the stock while uncertainty persists. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. - JEF
• Negative Sentiment: Reports also describe regulatory probes into Jefferies — regulatory scrutiny increases execution risk and can mute upside until resolved. Jefferies Faces Probes And Takeover Interest As Investors Weigh Trade Offs

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on JEF. UBS Group lowered their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Jefferies Financial Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered Jefferies Financial Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $49.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Jefferies Financial Group from $54.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $57.14.

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.

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