Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. Sells 400,000 Shares of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. $JEF

Key Points

• Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings cut its stake in Jefferies by 50.1%, selling 400,000 shares and leaving it with 398,000 shares valued at about $24.66 million (roughly 0.19% of JEF).
• Jefferies missed quarterly EPS, reporting $0.70 versus analysts' $0.89 estimate while revenue matched expectations at $2.02 billion and rose 26.6% year‑over‑year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 (annualized $1.60) for a yield of about 3.4%, payable May 29 with record/ex‑dividend date of May 18.

Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lessened its position in Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:JEF - Free Report) by 50.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 398,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 400,000 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. owned 0.19% of Jefferies Financial Group worth $24,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 413 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 56.8% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 8,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 3,207 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 60.6% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 48,272 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,991,000 after purchasing an additional 18,215 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group by 103.9% during the 4th quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 10,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 5,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seeds Investor LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company's stock.

Jefferies Financial Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE JEF opened at $47.64 on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.53 and a 1 year high of $71.04. The stock has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.09 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $44.47 and a 200 day moving average of $53.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 26.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group Inc. will post 3.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jefferies Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Jefferies Financial Group's payout ratio is 54.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $49.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $68.00 to $42.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $97.00 to $74.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $58.14.

Key Jefferies Financial Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated or maintained coverage and Buy ratings that demonstrate continued research/sales activity (revenue-driver for the firm). Example: Jefferies initiated coverage of Caris Life Sciences with a Buy rating. Jefferies Initiates Coverage of Caris Life Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support for client stocks — Jefferies kept a Buy on Temenos, indicating sustained institutional research coverage that helps recurring revenue. Temenos: Accelerating Recurring Growth and Regional Outperformance Underpin Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies maintained a Buy and raised its target on Groww after strong results — a sign its equity research views are moving with market catalysts and can generate trading flow. Groww shares jump over 3% after Q4 net profit soars 122%. What is Jefferies saying?
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ analyst notes on large tech names (IBM) and sector companies show active research signals but have limited direct impact on JEF's valuation — examples include commentary that IBM is positioned for an earnings beat and a separate note trimming IBM’s price target while keeping Buy on software upside. ‘IBM Is Well-Positioned for an Earnings Beat,’ Says Jefferies IBM Stock Forecast Trimmed to $320 at Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies’ cautious notes on other stocks (e.g., Trade Desk) and routine holds/buys across European and healthcare names reflect normal analyst flow rather than company-specific news for JEF. Trade Desk Rallies 7% Despite Jefferies Caution
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP issued an investor alert saying it is investigating claims on behalf of Jefferies investors — potential litigation or regulatory scrutiny can create legal costs, management distraction and near-term sentiment pressure on JEF. This is the clearest direct negative headline for the company today. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. - JEF

Jefferies Financial Group Profile

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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