Strategic Equity Management Acquires New Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Strategic Equity Management acquired a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,047 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $221,000. TFB Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Easterly Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 4,107 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on IBM. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Up 5.2 %

IBM opened at $261.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $241.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $226.41. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week 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.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.