First Business Financial Services Inc. Acquires New Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,030 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE IBM opened at $251.40 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $233.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.22, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $240.04 and a 200 day moving average of $225.58. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $265.72. 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 (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.