Vest Financial LLC Decreases Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Vest Financial LLC lessened its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 281,112 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 7,863 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines comprises about 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $69,901,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,405,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company's stock worth $873,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company's stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on International Business Machines and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 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. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $249.06.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $2.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $268.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,494,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,215,876. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $166.81 and a 52 week high of $270.12. The business's 50-day moving average price is $247.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $241.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market cap of $249.96 billion, a PE ratio of 41.96, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. International Business Machines's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued 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 2.50%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

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.