Williams Financial LLC Invests $6.73 Million in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Williams Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 38,749 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,734,000. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 0.1% of Williams Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Vista Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 836.9% during the second quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,177 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,933,000 after purchasing an additional 9,984 shares in the last quarter. CAP Partners LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 3.8% during the second quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 2,087 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $341,000. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.8% during the second quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 4,937 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $854,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TCW Group Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 52.6% during the second quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 639,634 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $110,625,000 after purchasing an additional 220,395 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on IBM. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wedbush boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.93.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of IBM traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $193.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,494,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,344,165. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $135.87 and a 52 week high of $199.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $181.13 and a 200 day moving average of $181.01. The company has a market cap of $178.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.71.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $15.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 75.65%.

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.