Keystone Financial Planning Inc. Reduces Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Keystone Financial Planning Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,809 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 132 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises about 0.7% of Keystone Financial Planning Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Keystone Financial Planning Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 2,049 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Vertex Planning Partners LLC lifted its position in International Business Machines by 3.6% in the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,153 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,891,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Sollinda Capital Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 3.7% during the third quarter. Sollinda Capital Management LLC now owns 1,360 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock traded down $2.51 during trading on Monday, reaching $217.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,716,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,919,758. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $239.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $221.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $209.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.87 billion, a PE ratio of 31.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 97.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on IBM. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, DZ Bank cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $214.88.

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.