Boston Research & Management Inc. Sells 1,220 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Boston Research & Management Inc. lessened its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,213 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,220 shares during the quarter. Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $373,000. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 811,062 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $178,296,000 after acquiring an additional 49,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in International Business Machines by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 75,638 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $16,615,000 after purchasing an additional 4,625 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.0 %

International Business Machines stock opened at $243.83 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $249.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.62. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $266.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.10 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

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.