Sowell Financial Services LLC Acquires 641 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,726 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Callan Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 10,425 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,292,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network increased its position in shares of 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 worth $687,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on IBM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $261.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $241.29 and a 200-day moving average of $226.41. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

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.