First Financial Bankshares Inc Invests $252,000 in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

First Financial Bankshares Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,145 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Down 2.4 %

NYSE IBM opened at $246.80 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $245.29 and its 200 day moving average is $229.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.50, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is currently 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.