Blueprint Investment Partners LLC Increases Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Blueprint Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 391.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,570 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 10,808 shares during the period. Blueprint Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mosley Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 2,197 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $502,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,461,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $94,314,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,386,000. Finally, Umpqua Bank increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 2,492 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on IBM. StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

Insider Buying and Selling 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. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $243.75 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $266.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $246.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.91. The company has a market capitalization of $226.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.03, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. 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.