Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Upgraded to "Hold" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group was upgraded from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating by Zacks Research, signaling a more favorable outlook for the company's stock.
• The stock has experienced mixed ratings from analysts, with reports from Goldman Sachs setting a "buy" rating and a price target increase to $62.00, while others like Wall Street Zen have downgraded it to "sell."
• Jefferies Financial Group reported a quarterly earnings miss of $0.40 EPS compared to the expected $0.44, reflecting a decline in revenue by 1.3% year-over-year.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on JEF. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Jefferies Financial Group from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE JEF opened at $63.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $58.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.69. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $82.68. The company has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95 and a beta of 1.49.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.04). Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 7.70% and a return on equity of 6.59%. The firm had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 38.6% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 29,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 8,229 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $2,467,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $262,000. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $462,000. 60.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jefferies Financial Group Company Profile

Jefferies Financial Group Inc operates as an investment banking and capital markets firm in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Investment Banking and Capital Markets, and Asset Management. It provides investment banking, advisory services with respect to mergers or acquisitions, debt financing, restructurings or recapitalizations, and private capital advisory transactions; underwriting and placement services related to corporate debt, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, equity and equity-linked securities, and loan syndication services; and corporate lending services.

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