Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Jefferies Financial Group from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Jefferies Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Jefferies Financial Group Price Performance

Jefferies Financial Group stock traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $53.58. 3,612,564 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,493,679. Jefferies Financial Group has a 1-year low of $40.72 and a 1-year high of $82.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $66.08 and a 200 day moving average of $69.53. The company has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 1.37.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.28). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jefferies Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JEF. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Jefferies Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

About Jefferies Financial Group

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.