Optimist Retirement Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC reduced its position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 14.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,125 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,758 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises approximately 1.3% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Optimist Retirement Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:IBM opened at $286.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.23, a PEG ratio of 6.00 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's fifty day moving average price is $276.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 37.43%. The firm's revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $1.68 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 2.35%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 115.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on IBM. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.19.

International Business Machines Company Profile

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.

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