Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Buys Shares of 7,000 International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,000 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,539,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after buying an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,589,145,000 after purchasing an additional 427,499 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings 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 worth $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,384,275,000 after buying an additional 1,704,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,665,256 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,465,223,000 after buying an additional 126,547 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, reaching $266.70. 3,814,415 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,218,531. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $163.53 and a 1-year high of $268.08. The firm has a market cap of $247.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.61, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $243.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.88.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $1.68 dividend. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group restated a "sell" rating and set a $170.00 price target (up from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $249.06.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Company 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.