International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Stock Holdings Lifted by Avity Investment Management Inc.

Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 39.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,542 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares during the period. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 971.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of IBM traded up $2.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $172.95. The stock had a trading volume of 4,193,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,570,876. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $131.55 and a fifty-two week high of $199.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.40. The firm has a market cap of $158.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $186.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.53.

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.