Persium Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Persium Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,160 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines makes up about 0.7% of Persium Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Persium Advisors LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $786,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,236,176,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 29,564.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,399,790 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $10,940,520,000 after acquiring an additional 4,384,958 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $592,746,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,384,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,209 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $268.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $166.81 and a fifty-two week high of $270.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $249.96 billion, a PE ratio of 41.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $248.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.79.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $1.68 dividend. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 115.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $170.00 price target (up from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $249.06.

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.