Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 15,195 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,450 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 15,195 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $10,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 129.1% in the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 126 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. American Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at $54,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $253.38 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $237.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $280.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.68. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $214.50 and a 52 week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The company had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.92 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.68 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on IBM shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $312.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of International Business Machines to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.87.

International Business Machines Company 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.