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JEF vs. NDAQ: Jefferies vs. Nasdaq Stock Comparison

How do Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though JEF is classified under Investment Banking & Brokerage while NDAQ falls under Financial Exchanges & Data.

Company profile comparison for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
Profile ItemJEFNDAQ
NameJefferies Financial Group Inc.Nasdaq, Inc. Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageFinancial Exchanges & Data
Market Capitalization10.88 billion USD59.88 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980July 1, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JEF
NDAQ
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Total Return (1Y)-6.26%26.55%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.02%30.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)7.20%10.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JEF
NDAQ
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.25%28.74%
Beta (5Y)1.490.94
Max Drawdown (5Y)-54.39%-32.57%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.20M3.13M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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JEF and NDAQ are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.260.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.331.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 8.59% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 17.33% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

8.59%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
JEF
8.59%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

17.33%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NDAQ
17.33%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 36.06% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Jefferies (JEF) at 11.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

11.00%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
JEF
11.00%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

36.06%

Max
62.84%
NDAQ
36.06%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 15.80% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 50.57% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

15.80%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
JEF
15.80%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

50.57%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NDAQ
50.57%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
ROE (TTM)8.59%17.33%
ROA (TTM)1.21%6.10%
Net Margin (TTM)11.00%36.06%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.80%50.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 2.93% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 11.65% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 60.10% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Jefferies (JEF) at -5.35% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for NDAQ.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.93%11.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)14.83%9.89%
EPS Growth (YoY)-5.35%60.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.57%10.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Jefferies (JEF) in Financial Services and Nasdaq (NDAQ) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Jefferies (JEF) in Financial Services and Nasdaq (NDAQ) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 3.29% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 1.09% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

3.29%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
JEF
3.29%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

1.09%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
NDAQ
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 42.67% and Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 31.69% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

42.67%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
JEF
42.67%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

31.69%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
NDAQ
31.69%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.29%1.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)42.67%31.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Jefferies (JEF) at 12.63 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 29.27 sits in the richer quartile — NDAQ needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

12.63

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
JEF
12.63
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

29.27

Max
45.85
NDAQ
29.27
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Jefferies (JEF) at 1.28 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 10.36 clears its benchmark range — NDAQ looks notably rich on sales.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

1.28

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
JEF
1.28
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

10.36

NDAQ
10.36
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Jefferies (JEF) at 1.02 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Nasdaq (NDAQ) at 4.99 carries an above-peer premium to book — NDAQ is pricier on assets.

JEF

Financial Services industry group

1.02

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
JEF
1.02
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

NDAQ

Financial Services industry group

4.99

Max
7.79
NDAQ
4.99
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Nasdaq (NDAQ): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Nasdaq (NDAQ)
MetricJEFNDAQ
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.6329.27
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.2810.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.024.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----