Blue Trust Inc. Increases Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,962 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 2,673 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $4,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

IBM stock opened at $260.65 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $265.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $218.77. The company has a market capitalization of $241.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

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.