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

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 53.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,798 shares of the technology company's stock after buying 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.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 174.3% in the fourth quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 192 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock traded up $4.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $258.55. The company had a trading volume of 3,519,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,214,448. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $163.53 and a one year high of $266.45. The firm has a market cap of $240.30 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $243.06 and a 200 day moving average of $235.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is 115.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on IBM shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $248.50.

International Business Machines Company Profile

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.