Aspect Partners LLC Cuts Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Aspect Partners LLC decreased its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 504 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Aspect Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,702,340 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at about $573,306,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in International Business Machines by 2.2% during the third 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 lifted its holdings 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 worth $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 23,311.1% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,262,000 after acquiring an additional 694,204 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $263.98 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $244.08 billion, a PE ratio of 41.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.76. 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 fifty day moving average of $234.00 and a 200-day moving average of $220.96. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $265.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Company 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.