International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Stock Position Trimmed by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,602,300 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 124,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $572,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $573,306,000. State Street Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in International Business Machines by 90.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 23,311.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,262,000 after buying an additional 694,204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

IBM opened at $249.72 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.96, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $243.21 and a 200-day moving average of $227.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $266.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.