International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Acquired by Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,734 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,457 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $27,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 40.9% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $373,000. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $5,117,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $250.04 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.98. The company has a market capitalization of $231.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $265.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on IBM. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.