Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,090,000 shares, a growth of 26.6% from the February 13th total of 2,440,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,790,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $171.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Barclays boosted 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 note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.13.

Interactive Brokers Group Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ IBKR traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $172.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,531,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,156,324. Interactive Brokers Group has a 52 week low of $103.69 and a 52 week high of $236.53. The company has a market capitalization of $72.97 billion, a PE ratio of 24.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $204.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.76.

Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.22. Interactive Brokers Group had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 5.00%. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Interactive Brokers Group will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interactive Brokers Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Interactive Brokers Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.16%.

Insider Activity at Interactive Brokers Group

In related news, Director Jill Bright bought 135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $219.51 per share, with a total value of $29,633.85. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,476 shares in the company, valued at $543,506.76. This represents a 5.77 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.99% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interactive Brokers Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. 111 Capital bought a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,473,000 after buying an additional 1,377 shares in the last quarter. Cim LLC bought a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,520,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 6,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,212,000 after buying an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.80% of the company’s stock.

Interactive Brokers Group Company Profile

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.