Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $7.05 Million Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group reduced its IBM stake by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 23,784 shares worth about $7.05 million.
• IBM reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $1.91 per share versus $1.81 expected and revenue of $15.92 billion, up 9.5% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.69 per share, putting the annualized payout at $6.76 and the yield at about 2.7%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,784 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 13,666 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 3,433 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 18,057 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $5,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,050 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,496,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $253.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.62 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company's fifty day moving average price is $238.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.88. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $212.34 and a 52-week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 37.23%. The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.60 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.69 per share. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. UBS Group raised shares of International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Argus set a $360.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $370.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $294.41.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

Here are the key news stories impacting International Business Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IBM is being linked to a major U.S. government quantum-computing funding push, which has lifted sentiment across the sector and reinforced the view that IBM could be a key long-term beneficiary of federal investment in the technology. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Articles about Trump’s $2 billion quantum push and a $1 billion investment tied to an IBM-backed quantum foundry have strengthened the “IBM as a quantum leader” narrative, which may support the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s India executive said the country’s AI ambitions depend on workforce re-skilling and policy support, keeping IBM in the conversation as a major enterprise AI and consulting player in a large growth market. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said IBM “should be doing better,” echoing a view that the company’s fundamentals and strategic positioning may be stronger than its recent share performance has implied. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: IBM is also winding down its Russia business, which is a sign of continued geopolitical disruption and may modestly weigh on revenue expectations, though the financial impact appears limited. Article Title

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,265.22. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM's principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.