Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,962 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,306,000. State Street Corp increased its position in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in International Business Machines by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 23,311.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $153,262,000 after buying an additional 694,204 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 39,801.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 590,543 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $129,819,000 after buying an additional 589,063 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $252.63 on Friday. 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. The company has a market cap of $234.25 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $238.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.36.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on IBM. UBS Group boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

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.