Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $8.97 Million Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 53.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,798 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,207 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $8,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Yoffe Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $2,579,000. LifeWealth Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $450,000. LM Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 231.7% during the 4th quarter. LM Advisors LLC now owns 8,358 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 5,838 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,000. Finally, Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $485,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE IBM traded up $4.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $263.17. 3,281,641 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,211,353. The business has a 50 day moving average of $245.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $163.53 and a 1 year high of $269.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.68 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 115.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on IBM. UBS Group reissued a "sell" rating and set a $170.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. KGI Securities set a $242.00 price target on International Business Machines and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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.