International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Sold by WBI Investments LLC

WBI Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 83.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,428 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 7,402 shares during the quarter. WBI Investments LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at 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. grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $249.06.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6%

IBM opened at $268.33 on Tuesday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $163.53 and a 52 week high of $269.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.11. The firm has a market cap of $249.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share 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 is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. 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 stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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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