JEF Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

NYSE Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies NY CIK: 0000096223
AI RATING
STRONG_SELL
75% Confidence

Investment Thesis

Jefferies demonstrates alarming fundamental deterioration masked by 95% top-line growth: net income declined 7.5% YoY, operating cash flow is severely negative at -1.7B, and critically low interest coverage of 0.1x signals debt servicing stress. Poor capital efficiency (ROE 1.5%, ROA 0.2%) and unsustainable cash burn despite 12B liquidity indicate structural profitability challenges.

Strengths

  • + Strong revenue growth of 95% YoY
  • + Adequate liquidity with current ratio of 1.97x and 12.0B cash reserves
  • + Positive operating income of 212.2M

Risks

  • ! Severe negative operating cash flow of -1.7B with FCF margin of -62.8% indicates unsustainable cash burn and deteriorating business quality
  • ! Critical interest coverage ratio of 0.1x suggests acute debt servicing stress despite operating income
  • ! Paradoxical profitability decline - net income down 7.5% YoY despite massive revenue growth signals poor cost control or significant non-operating losses
  • ! Extremely poor returns on capital with ROE of 1.5% and ROA of 0.2% indicate inefficient asset deployment
  • ! Elevated leverage with Debt/Equity of 1.62x and 17.2B long-term debt constrains financial flexibility

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
2.9B
Net Income
159.3M
EPS (Diluted)
$0.70
Free Cash Flow
-1.8B
Total Assets
74.4B
Cash
12.0B

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin N/A
Operating Margin 7.4%
Net Margin 5.5%
ROE 1.5%
ROA 0.2%
FCF Margin -62.8%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
1.97x
Quick Ratio
1.73x
Debt/Equity
1.62x
Debt/Assets
85.7%
Interest Coverage
0.13x
Long-term Debt
17.2B
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-04-11T20:36:27.199233 | Data as of: 2026-02-28 | Powered by Claude AI