International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Stock Position Boosted by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its IBM stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 1,419,413 shares worth about $420.4 million.
• IBM reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.91 beating estimates and revenue of $15.92 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 9.5% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.69 per share, and analysts currently rate IBM Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $294.41.

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,419,413 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 51,727 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of International Business Machines worth $420,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Family CFO Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,666.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at $101,265.22. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $222.84 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.58. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $239.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.15. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $212.34 and a 52-week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The business had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.60 earnings per share. International Business Machines's revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 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 Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.69 per share. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 59.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. Dbs Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Argus set a $360.00 target price on International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $380.00 to $320.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $294.41.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM's principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.

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