Ethic Inc. Acquires 9,256 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Ethic Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,338 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 9,256 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 0.5% of Ethic Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $27,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JBR Co Financial Management Inc lifted its position in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $873,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $276.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday. Finally, KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on International Business Machines and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $248.50.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $254.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $236.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.66, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $163.53 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The firm's 50-day moving average is $243.09 and its 200 day moving average is $234.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 115.66%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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