Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) Stock Price

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) had its price objective cut by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $81.00 to $75.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 37.01% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on JEF. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Jefferies Financial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $75.00 price target on Jefferies Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Jefferies Financial Group Stock Down 9.2 %

JEF traded down $5.55 on Thursday, hitting $54.74. 2,913,946 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,868,295. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.40 and its 200-day moving average is $69.52. The company has a market cap of $11.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37 and a beta of 1.37. Jefferies Financial Group has a 12 month low of $40.72 and a 12 month high of $82.68.

Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Jefferies Financial Group had a net margin of 10.57% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Jefferies Financial Group will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Jefferies Financial Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in Jefferies Financial Group by 71.8% in the 4th 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 fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Jefferies Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth 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 boosted its stake in Jefferies Financial Group by 158.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.88% of the company’s stock.

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.