Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, an increase of 29.7% from the January 15th total of 1,820,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,390,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Interactive Brokers Group Price Performance

Shares of IBKR stock traded down $0.73 on Friday, hitting $234.12. 1,672,620 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,813,609. The company’s fifty day moving average is $196.38 and its 200 day moving average is $164.09. Interactive Brokers Group has a 1-year low of $101.36 and a 1-year high of $236.53. The company has a market capitalization of $98.92 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.89.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Interactive Brokers Group had a return on equity of 5.00% and a net margin of 9.25%. The business’s revenue was up 21.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Interactive Brokers Group will post 7.39 EPS for the current year.

Interactive Brokers Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Interactive Brokers Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jill Bright bought 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $219.51 per share, for a total transaction of $29,633.85. Following the acquisition, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interactive Brokers Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 8,249.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,494,029 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $263,950,000 after acquiring an additional 1,476,135 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Interactive Brokers Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $229,316,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Interactive Brokers Group during the 4th quarter valued at $120,046,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Interactive Brokers Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $83,630,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Interactive Brokers Group by 59.6% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 604,910 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,869,000 after buying an additional 225,910 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBKR has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Interactive Brokers Group from $171.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on 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. Citigroup boosted their price target on Interactive Brokers Group from $180.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Interactive Brokers Group from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Interactive Brokers Group from $224.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interactive Brokers Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.13.

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.