Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 53.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,798 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,207 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $8,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JBR Co Financial Management Inc boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company's stock worth $873,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM traded down $3.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $260.20. The stock had a trading volume of 2,315,654 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,203,804. The company has a market capitalization of $241.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $163.53 and a 12-month high of $269.28. The company's 50-day moving average is $245.65 and its 200 day moving average is $239.02.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.