Focus Partners Wealth Cuts Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Focus Partners Wealth trimmed its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,163 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 152,865 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $35,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $592,746,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,384,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock worth $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $3.18 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $256.87. 428,258 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,195,575. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.19. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $163.53 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.04, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.68 EPS. International Business Machines's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 115.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on IBM shares. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $170.00 target price (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $248.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.