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

Williams Financial LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 38,749 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,734,000. International Business Machines makes up approximately 1.7% of Williams Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 164.0% during the first quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 198 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on IBM. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. UBS Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.60.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $214.79 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $135.87 and a 52 week high of $216.09. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $192.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $183.39. The firm has a market cap of $197.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.12.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.27. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The company had revenue of $15.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.18 EPS. International Business Machines’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 75.65%.

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.