Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC Makes New Investment in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,081 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 495,574 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $108,942,000 after buying an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $373,000. Truist Financial Corp raised its position in International Business Machines by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 811,062 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $178,296,000 after purchasing an additional 49,591 shares during the period. Finally, Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,000,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.2%

IBM opened at $258.79 on Monday. 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 fifty day moving average is $245.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.54. The company has a market capitalization of $240.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.37, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $163.53 and a 52 week high of $269.28.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $249.06.

About International Business Machines

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.