Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) Short Interest Update

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,690,000 shares, a drop of 12.9% from the February 28th total of 3,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,970,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Interactive Brokers Group

In related news, Director Jill Bright acquired 135 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $219.51 per share, with a total value of $29,633.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,506.76. The trade was a 5.77 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Donoghue Forlines LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,088,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the fourth quarter worth about $3,750,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Interactive Brokers Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $775,000. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,319,000. Finally, Caldwell Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,215,000. 23.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interactive Brokers Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IBKR traded down $10.83 during trading on Thursday, hitting $163.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,137,020 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,244,705. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.99. Interactive Brokers Group has a 12 month low of $103.69 and a 12 month high of $236.53.

Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.22. Interactive Brokers Group had a return on equity of 5.00% and a net margin of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Interactive Brokers Group will post 7.46 EPS for the current year.

Interactive Brokers Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Interactive Brokers Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBKR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $200.00) on shares of Interactive Brokers Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $224.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $242.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Interactive Brokers Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $203.50.

About Interactive Brokers Group

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc operates as an automated electronic broker worldwide. The company engages in the execution, clearance, and settlement of trades in stocks, options, futures, foreign exchange instruments, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), precious metals, and cryptocurrencies.