Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF Shares Acquired by NewEdge Advisors LLC

Key Points

• NewEdge Advisors increased its Jefferies Financial Group stake by 77.3% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 68,577 shares valued at approximately $3.43 million. Institutional investors now own 60.88% of JEF shares.
• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $63.62. Recent targets range from $60 to $83, while UBS and Oppenheimer lowered their estimates.
• Jefferies reported quarterly EPS of $1.02 and revenue of $2.21 billion, missing estimates despite 35% year-over-year revenue growth. The company also offers a $0.40 quarterly dividend and authorized a $250 million share buyback.

NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 77.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,577 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 29,899 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in Jefferies Financial Group were worth $3,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $834,947,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $127,242,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $145,584,000. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in Jefferies Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $107,044,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the second quarter worth about $79,537,000. 60.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Monday, June 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Jefferies Financial Group from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $63.62.

Key Stories Impacting Jefferies Financial Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies announced that it will release third-quarter financial results after the market closes on September 28, 2026. The scheduled report provides a clear catalyst and could support the shares if deal activity and trading performance show continued improvement. Jefferies third-quarter earnings release announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies analysts remain active across Indian equities, including positive views on Groww and HDFC Bank and a negative view on BSE. These reports highlight the strength of Jefferies’ research and brokerage franchise, but they are analyst calls on other companies rather than direct financial updates for JEF. Jefferies analyst views on HDFC Bank and other stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies economist forecasts include a potential Federal Reserve rate cut in December. Changes in interest-rate expectations can influence capital-markets activity and financing demand, but the immediate effect on JEF is uncertain. Jefferies Federal Reserve rate outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies’ most recent reported quarter fell short of consensus, with earnings per share of $1.02 versus the $1.16 estimate and revenue of $2.21 billion versus $2.30 billion expected. Although revenue increased 35% year over year, the earnings miss has likely weighed on sentiment ahead of the next report.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Down 2.5%

JEF opened at $48.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.53 and a 12 month high of $71.04. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $54.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.69.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.14). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 9.23%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 35.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 44.69%.

Jefferies Financial Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, June 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.