WBI Investments LLC Acquires 5,786 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

WBI Investments LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 47.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,980 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,786 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 477,193 shares of the technology company's stock worth $78,045,000 after buying an additional 80,474 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 18.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 372,307 shares of the technology company's stock worth $52,235,000 after purchasing an additional 57,170 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.2% in the third quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 21,880 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,070,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Tsfg LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 40.5% during the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 378 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of IBM stock traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $173.70. 3,293,737 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,788,172. The stock has a market cap of $159.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $180.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.73. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $125.01 and a 1 year high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.91 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 75.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on International Business Machines from $215.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $145.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $186.00 to $179.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $181.29.

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.

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