NEW YORK, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Jefferies Financial Group (JEF.N), opens new tab has been sued by investors who said the financial services firm defrauded them into investing in a fund linked to First Brands, the now- bankrupt auto parts supplier. According to a complaint made public on Wednesday in a New York state court in Manhattan, Jefferies and its Point Bonita Capital trade finance fund falsely claimed to have had "cash dominion" over receivables it bought from First Brands, while the parts supplier was ...

AMJ Financial Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Rambus, Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS – Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 26,973 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,811,000. Get Rambus alerts: Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Rambus during the third quarter valued at approximately ...

Core Viewpoint - Bessemer Group Inc. significantly reduced its holdings in Interparfums, Inc. by 99.2% in Q3, indicating a major shift in investment strategy towards the company [2] Institutional Holdings - Bessemer Group Inc. sold 185,793 shares, leaving it with only 1,552 shares valued at $153,000 at the end of the reporting period [2] - Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake by 66.8%, acquiring an additional 310,712 shares, bringing its total to 775,590 shares worth $101,843,000 [3] - Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position by 249.3%, now holding 225,907 shares valued at $29,664,000 after purchasing 161,239 shares [3] - Man Group plc expanded its stake by 572.8%, owning 187,058 shares worth $24,563,000 after acquiring 159,254 shares [3] - Tributary Capital Management LLC increased its holdings by 139.6%, now owning 228,520 shares valued at $22,482,000 after buying 133,131 shares [3] - Institutional investors collectively own 55.57% of Interparfums' stock [3] Stock Performance - Interparfums' stock opened at $102.24, with a market cap of $3.28 billion [4] - The company has a P/E ratio of 20.01, a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.27, and a quick ratio of 1.99 [4] - The stock has fluctuated between a 1-year low of $77.21 and a high of $148.15 [4] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Interparfums to a "strong-buy" rating [5] - UBS Group set a target price of $103.00, while Jefferies Financial Group set a target of $112.00 [5] - BWS Financial maintained a "neutral" rating with a price target of $85.00 [5] - Berenberg Bank initiated coverage with a "buy" rating and a target of $103.00 [5] - The consensus rating for Interparfums is "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $119.14 [5][6] Company Profile - Interparfums, Inc. is a global fragrance company that designs, manufactures, and distributes premium perfume and cosmetic products [7] - The company operates primarily through licensing agreements with established fashion and luxury brands, overseeing all stages of product development [7] - Its portfolio includes well-known names such as Montblanc, Coach, Jimmy Choo, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Lanvin [7]

Core Insights - Datadog, Inc. is a prominent player in the cloud-based monitoring and analytics sector, known for its integrated platform that automates infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring, and log management [1] Group 1: Analyst Ratings and Sentiment - Morgan Stanley upgraded Datadog to an "Overweight" rating with a stock price of $125.49, reflecting positive analyst sentiment [2] - Datadog has a "Moderate Buy" consensus from thirty-eight brokerages, with thirty-two analysts recommending a buy and one suggesting a sell [2] Group 2: Price Targets - The average 12-month price target for Datadog is approximately $208, indicating significant potential upside from its current trading price [3] - Jefferies Financial Group raised its price target from $190 to $220 while maintaining a "buy" rating [3] - Guggenheim has a more conservative price target of $105, highlighting the range of analyst opinions [3] Group 3: Market Performance - Datadog's market capitalization is around $44 billion despite a recent stock price dip of 3.97% [4] - The stock has shown volatility, with a 52-week high of $201.69 and a low of $81.63 [4] - Recent trading ranged between $125.22 and $131.47, with a trading volume of 7,057,743 shares, indicating strong investor interest [4]

Core Insights - Energy Transfer LP has seen significant investment activity, with Benjamin Edwards Inc. increasing its holdings by 32.1% in Q3, now owning 185,504 shares valued at $3,183,000 [2] - Several large investors have also made substantial investments in Energy Transfer, including Kingstone Capital Partners acquiring $168.92 million worth of shares and Jump Financial LLC increasing its stake by 2,687.9% [3] - The company reported earnings of $0.28 per share for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34, with revenue of $19.95 billion, down 3.9% year-over-year [7] Investment Activity - Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 32.1%, acquiring an additional 45,047 shares in Q3 [2] - Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position valued at approximately $168.92 million in Q2 [3] - MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings by 9.3%, now owning 21,353,476 shares valued at $387.14 million [3] - Jump Financial LLC increased its stake by 2,687.9%, now holding 1,791,358 shares valued at $32.48 million [3] - Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake by 223.7%, now owning 1,690,771 shares valued at $30.65 million [3] Analyst Ratings - Morgan Stanley cut its target price from $21.00 to $19.00 while maintaining an "overweight" rating [4] - Jefferies Financial Group set a price target of $17.00 with a "hold" rating [4] - UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating, while Scotiabank decreased its price objective from $23.00 to $21.00 [4] - Thirteen analysts rated the stock as a Buy, with a consensus price target of $21.75 [4] Insider Transactions - Director Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,000,000 shares at an average price of $16.95, totaling $16.95 million, increasing his position by 0.97% [5] Financial Performance - Energy Transfer reported a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 10.71% [7] - The company has a market cap of $58.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.57, and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 [6] Dividend Information - Energy Transfer announced a quarterly dividend of $0.3325 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.33 and a yield of 7.8% [9] - This dividend reflects an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.33 [9] - The dividend payout ratio is currently 106.40% [9] Company Overview - Energy Transfer is a Dallas-based midstream energy company focused on the transportation, storage, and processing of hydrocarbons [10] - The company operates an extensive network of pipelines, terminals, and processing plants across the United States [11]

Core Insights - The continuation vehicle (CV) strategy is gaining attention due to a significant failure involving United Site Services (USS), with major financial institutions facing a potential loss of $1.4 billion [1] - The CV was created by Platinum Equity in 2021 to transition USS from an older private equity fund to a new fund, allowing investors to cash out approximately $2.6 billion without a direct sale [2][3] - The valuation of USS was set at $4 billion, but the company faced challenges due to higher interest rates impacting the construction industry and its own financial health [3][5] Company-Specific Details - USS struggled with integrating prior acquisitions and faced cash flow issues due to debt servicing, leading to a potential handover of control to lenders [5][6] - The situation underscores the risks associated with continuation vehicles, which represented nearly 20% of all private asset exits in the first half of 2025 [8] - While CVs provide flexibility for private equity firms, the USS case illustrates the dangers of concentrated, illiquid investments that may fail [9]

Some of Altice International's unsecured creditors have hired Jefferies Financial Group and law firm Milbank as advisers ahead of debt talks with the company https://t.co/d6rzuWAgHW ...

Company Overview - First Brands Group, based in Cleveland, is a manufacturer of aftermarket auto parts, including Trico windshield wipers and Fram air filters, with products sold through major retailers like AutoZone and Walmart [5] - The company filed for bankruptcy protection at the end of September, along with several special-purpose vehicles used for borrowing [4] Financial Situation - First Brands has approximately $6.1 billion in debt on its balance sheet, with annual operating earnings of about $1.13 billion, not including an additional $2.3 billion in off-balance-sheet financing and $600 million in unsecured debt [3] - The bankruptcy filing revealed that First Brands owes around $2.3 billion to third-party factors, raising concerns about potential irregularities in its factoring deals [17][18] Bankruptcy Proceedings - The initial bankruptcy hearing on October 1 had an unprecedented attendance of 750 lawyers, indicating the complexity of the case [2] - A special committee within the company is investigating whether some receivables have been factored multiple times, which could indicate significant financial misconduct [18] Market Implications - The collapse of First Brands highlights potential vulnerabilities in the financial markets, particularly regarding private credit and opaque lending practices [9][21] - Jefferies Financial Group, which had a long-term relationship with First Brands, disclosed a $715 million investment in First Brands receivables, leading to a significant drop in its stock price [18][19] Management Changes - Patrick James, the founder and owner of First Brands, resigned as CEO, and restructuring specialist Charles M. Moore is now overseeing the company under bankruptcy court supervision [12] External Factors - The bankruptcy filing cites headwinds from newly imposed tariffs that increased costs and complicated operations, contributing to a liquidity crisis [11]

Jefferies Financial Group appears to have calmed investors’ worst fears about the bank’s involvement in the collapse of auto parts maker First Brands Group. https://t.co/kgZ1hULKYM ...

Core Insights - U.S. regional bank stocks experienced significant declines on October 16, 2025, due to emerging signs of credit stress in the banking sector [1] - Zions Bancorporation and Western Alliance Bancorporation reported substantial losses linked to troubled business loans, leading to a drop in their stock prices [2] Regional Banking Sector - The recent selloff in regional banks was triggered by a series of bankruptcies, notably the September bankruptcies of subprime auto lender Tricolor and auto parts supplier First Brands, which have raised concerns about interconnected risks within the financial system [3] - Jefferies Financial Group's asset management unit reported holding $715 million in receivables associated with First Brands' customers, highlighting potential hidden credit risks among U.S. banks, particularly smaller regional institutions [4] Market Volatility - The iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX) saw a gain of 9.3% on October 16, 2025, indicating rising market volatility, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) lost 0.7% on the same day [5] - The regional banking sector had already faced turmoil earlier in 2023 following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, suggesting ongoing instability [5] Investment Alternatives - Investors are turning to Treasuries as a safe haven, with the iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) gaining 0.5% on October 16, 2025, as two-year yields dropped to 3.37% [6] - Money-market-based ETFs, such as the iShares Ultra Short Duration Bond Active ETF (ICSH), are gaining traction due to lower interest rate risks, with the ETF yielding 4.70% annually [7] - International bond markets are also seen as a potential cushion amid U.S. financial system jitters, with the Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) currently yielding 4.31% annually [8] - The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) is viewed as a safe, non-cyclical investment, likely to remain stable despite the ongoing U.S. government shutdown [9]