Argent Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Argent Advisors Inc. reduced its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,145 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.9 %

IBM stock opened at $253.00 on Tuesday. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $266.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market cap of $234.60 billion, a PE ratio of 39.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $244.84 and a 200 day moving average of $228.85.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.