International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Bought by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 100.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,149 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 15,143 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a $170.00 target price (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $248.50.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $245.49 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $163.53 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $243.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $228.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is 115.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

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

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IBM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.