Paragon Financial Partners Inc. Sells 100 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Paragon Financial Partners Inc. lessened its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,545 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Paragon Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $223.09 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $223.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $211.82. The company has a market cap of $206.28 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $239.35.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.87.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.