International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Stock Position Raised by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,808 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,729 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IBM. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $902,000. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 55.1% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 4,209 shares of the technology company's stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 1,495 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 21,011 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,619,000 after acquiring an additional 2,323 shares during the period. Encompass More Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $235,000. Finally, CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,125 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:IBM traded down $1.61 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $258.63. The company had a trading volume of 942,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,197,283. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $245.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.38, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $163.53 and a one year high of $269.28.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $1.68 dividend. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

International Business Machines 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.