SFE Investment Counsel Sells 1,796 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

SFE Investment Counsel reduced its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,347 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,796 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up 1.8% of SFE Investment Counsel's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. SFE Investment Counsel's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $9,038,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the first quarter valued at approximately $396,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 495,574 shares of the technology company's stock worth $108,942,000 after buying an additional 4,131 shares in the last quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1,547.8% during the first quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,664 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,392,000 after buying an additional 16,592 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 47.0% during the first quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 7,507 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 62,067 shares of the technology company's stock worth $15,434,000 after acquiring an additional 3,276 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $259.70. 7,751,998 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,403,863. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $241.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.16, a PEG ratio of 5.50 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $181.81 and a 52 week high of $296.16. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $277.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $256.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 37.62%. The firm had revenue of $16.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation 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 was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $1.68 dividend. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 109.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of International Business Machines to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. KGI Securities set a $242.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted 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, July 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $268.75.

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.