International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Stock Position Lifted by Sunbelt Securities Inc.

Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,921 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Capital World Investors boosted its position in International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $592,746,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,384,275,000 after buying an additional 1,704,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM opened at $258.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $244.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $237.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $163.53 and a 12-month high of $269.28.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on IBM shares. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $170.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $249.06.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Profile

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.