BLB&B Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

BLB&B Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,408 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,521 shares during the period. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $4,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $252.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $229.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on IBM shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.53.

International Business Machines 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.