Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Sells 18,810 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC reduced its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 92.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,494 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 18,810 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its stake in International Business Machines by 2.3% in the third quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 2,049 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 3,123 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $687,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Goldstein Advisors LLC lifted its position in International Business Machines by 4.0% during the third quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Vertex Planning Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.6% in the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,153 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,891,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $248.95 on Tuesday. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $265.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $217.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.19 billion, a PE ratio of 38.84, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.53.

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.