Loudon Investment Management LLC Invests $1.06 Million in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

Loudon Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,279 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,064,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Park Place Capital Corp grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 42.6% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of several research reports. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on International Business Machines and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $244.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $268.75.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE IBM traded down $1.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $258.99. 4,967,305 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,618,371. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12 month low of $181.81 and a 12 month high of $296.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $277.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $255.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The company has a market cap of $240.70 billion, a PE ratio of 42.11, a PEG ratio of 6.01 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 38.09%. The business had revenue of $16.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 109.09%.

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.