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JEF vs. NTRS: Jefferies vs. Northern Trust Stock Comparison

How do Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS) 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 Northern Trust (NTRS) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though JEF is classified under Investment Banking & Brokerage while NTRS falls under Asset Management & Custody Banks.

Company profile comparison for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
Profile ItemJEFNTRS
NameJefferies Financial Group Inc.Northern Trust Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageAsset Management & Custody Banks
Market Capitalization10.88 billion USD31.29 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

JEF
NTRS
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS), 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 Northern Trust (NTRS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Total Return (1Y)-6.26%39.45%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.02%40.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)7.20%11.05%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

JEF
NTRS
GSPC
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS), 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 Northern Trust (NTRS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)41.25%24.90%
Beta (5Y)1.491.18
Max Drawdown (5Y)-54.39%-50.03%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.20M1.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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JEF and NTRS 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 Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.261.41
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.332.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 8.59% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 18.44% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

18.44%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
NTRS
18.44%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 11.00% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 26.00% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

26.00%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
NTRS
26.00%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 15.80% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 34.80% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

34.80%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
NTRS
34.80%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
ROE (TTM)8.59%18.44%
ROA (TTM)1.21%1.44%
Net Margin (TTM)11.00%26.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.80%34.80%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Jefferies (JEF) at 2.93% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Northern Trust (NTRS) at -2.46% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Jefferies (JEF) at -5.35% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at -10.54% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.93%-2.46%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)14.83%6.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)-5.35%-10.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.57%12.49%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Jefferies (JEF) in Financial Services and Northern Trust (NTRS) 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 Northern Trust (NTRS) 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 Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 3.29% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 1.91% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

1.91%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
NTRS
1.91%
Median
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 42.67% and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 25.73% 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%

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

25.73%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
NTRS
25.73%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
Dividend Yield (TTM)3.29%1.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)42.67%25.73%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Jefferies (JEF) at 12.63 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 13.55 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

13.55

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
NTRS
13.55
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Jefferies (JEF) at 1.28 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 3.35 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

3.35

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
NTRS
3.35
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Jefferies (JEF) at 1.02 and Northern Trust (NTRS) at 2.51 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

NTRS

Financial Services industry group

2.51

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
NTRS
2.51
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Jefferies (JEF) vs. Northern Trust (NTRS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jefferies (JEF) and Northern Trust (NTRS)
MetricJEFNTRS
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.6313.55
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.283.35
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.022.51
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----