International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Purchased by Sandy Spring Bank

Sandy Spring Bank increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,523 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,542 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $243.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $225.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $266.45. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $246.29 and a 200-day moving average of $229.42.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend 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.