Generali Investments Management Co LLC Raises Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 73.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,567 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,360 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Tacita Capital Inc raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 174.3% in the fourth quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 192 shares of the technology company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $170.00 price target (up from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $249.06.

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $266.75 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $166.80 and a one year high of $269.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $247.80 and a 200 day moving average of $241.38. 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 company has a market capitalization of $247.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.61, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

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.

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