Blue Chip Partners LLC Raises Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Blue Chip Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,786 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 176,580 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,818,000 after purchasing an additional 8,309 shares in the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 15,485 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,404,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. now owns 987 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 168,770 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $37,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,259 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $260.65 on Monday. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a market cap of $241.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s fifty day moving average is $232.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Equities analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Profile

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.