International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) Shares Purchased by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 146.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,675 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,753 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $11,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter worth approximately $396,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in International Business Machines by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 495,574 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $108,942,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1,547.8% during the 1st quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,664 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,392,000 after acquiring an additional 16,592 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 7,507 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Magnolia Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter worth approximately $239,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of IBM traded up $4.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $286.21. The company had a trading volume of 2,350,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,229,993. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $276.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $254.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $266.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.27, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $181.81 and a 1 year high of $296.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.01.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.43% and a net margin of 8.71%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group reissued a "sell" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of International Business Machines to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.19.

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.