International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Acquired by FIL Ltd

FIL Ltd lifted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,493 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,589,145,000 after purchasing an additional 427,499 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,665,256 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,465,223,000 after purchasing an additional 126,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,176,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,036,860 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $887,423,000 after buying an additional 194,814 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $235.49 on Monday. 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 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.37 billion, a PE ratio of 36.74, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.02.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.13.

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.