Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Makes New Investment in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 4,671 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,027,000. International Business Machines comprises approximately 1.0% of Northstar Financial Companies Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock worth $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,589,145,000 after acquiring an additional 427,499 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,384,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,112,092 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,783,281,000 after purchasing an additional 722,582 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of IBM traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $258.88. The company had a trading volume of 9,667,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,225,727. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $246.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $240.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.39, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $163.53 and a 1 year high of $269.28.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

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.