LS Investment Advisors LLC Has $997,000 Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

LS Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 27.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,010 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,485 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $997,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $902,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 21,011 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,619,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,999 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 62,993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $13,695,000 after buying an additional 3,199 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 110,444 shares of the technology company's stock worth $24,279,000 after buying an additional 47,266 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IBM. Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $249.06.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM traded up $1.23 on Thursday, hitting $266.75. 2,655,316 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,214,720. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company's 50 day moving average price is $247.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.98. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $166.80 and a one year high of $269.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $247.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.61, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. The firm 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 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.