Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Increases Stock Position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken increased its stake in International Business Machines (IBM) by 2.5%, owning 215,740 shares valued at approximately $53.6 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Institutional investors have shown significant interest in IBM, with Capital World Investors boosting their stake by 413.5% and GAMMA Investing LLC increasing theirs by over 29,500% in recent months.
• IBM recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings with an EPS of $2.80, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.15, while also announcing a slight increase in its quarterly dividend.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 215,740 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 5,226 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $53,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in International Business Machines by 42.6% in the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 194 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on IBM shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Saturday, May 10th. Wedbush raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.75.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM traded up $1.87 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $261.59. 2,662,866 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,624,641. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $277.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $256.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1-year low of $181.81 and a 1-year high of $296.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.43 EPS. International Business Machines's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.09%.

International Business Machines 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.