Sovran Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 1,551 International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,551 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $255.86 on Thursday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $265.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $230.70 and a 200 day moving average of $218.22. The company has a market capitalization of $236.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on IBM shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.