Williamson Legacy Group LLC Decreases Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Williamson Legacy Group LLC cut its IBM stake sharply in the fourth quarter, reducing holdings by 66.2% after selling 2,251 shares and ending with 1,147 shares valued at about $340,000.
• IBM beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.91 versus the $1.81 consensus and revenue of $15.92 billion versus $15.60 billion expected, with revenue up 9.5% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend to $1.69 per share quarterly, implying an annualized payout of $6.76 and a yield of about 2.7%.

Williamson Legacy Group LLC lessened its holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 66.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,147 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 2,251 shares during the period. Williamson Legacy Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $340,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Family CFO Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,666.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE IBM opened at $251.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $236.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.58. International Business Machines Corporation has a one year low of $212.34 and a one year high of $324.90. The firm's fifty day moving average is $238.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.49.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.60 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 37.23%. International Business Machines's quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.60 earnings per share. Analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 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 Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $1.69 dividend. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.77%.

Key International Business Machines News

Here are the key news stories impacting International Business Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Commerce’s planned $2.0 billion quantum computing funding package put IBM on investors’ radar as one of the sector’s better-positioned beneficiaries, reinforcing confidence in its quantum roadmap. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated an Outperform rating and $225 price target after the federal quantum announcement, signaling continued analyst confidence in IBM’s upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: IBM signed a five-year global technology modernization agreement with Abertis, expanding its consulting and infrastructure services footprint and adding a fresh revenue driver. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed IBM as a relatively “safe” way to gain exposure to the quantum theme, which may support sentiment but does not by itself change fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage noted that the recent quantum rally has started to cool, which could temper near-term momentum even as IBM remains in focus. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer commentary and related coverage highlighted that IBM shares have lagged over the past year and year-to-date, reminding investors that the stock still needs stronger operating performance to sustain a bigger re-rating. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus set a $360.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $294.41.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM's principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.

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