International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Acquired by Forum Financial Management LP

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,270 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,506 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,746,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,384,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. KGI Securities set a $242.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $4.54 on Tuesday, hitting $263.17. 3,280,711 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,768,112. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $238.85. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $163.53 and a 52 week high of $269.28. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $244.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.68 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

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.