Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC Acquires 308 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,288 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up 0.8% of Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JBR Co Financial Management Inc raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Callan Capital LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 10,425 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,292,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 3,123 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $253.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $234.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $265.72. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $239.50 and its 200 day moving average is $225.40.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

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.