Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 13,666 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Family CFO Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1,666.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines 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

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $253.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $212.34 and a 52 week high of $324.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $238.83 and its 200 day moving average is $271.88.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.69 per share. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $290.00 price objective on International Business Machines in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, HSBC raised International Business Machines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $231.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the director owned 434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,265.22. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

About International Business Machines

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.