Francis Financial Inc. Raises Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Francis Financial Inc. lifted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 25.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,328 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. Francis Financial Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $732,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 123,338 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,113,000 after buying an additional 9,256 shares during the last quarter. Fairview Capital Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairview Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 2,498 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its stake in International Business Machines by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 54,973 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,679 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 6,563 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,443,000 after acquiring an additional 808 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in International Business Machines by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,179,328 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $918,742,000 after purchasing an additional 548,260 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $249.32 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $163.53 and a twelve month high of $266.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $243.01 and a 200 day moving average of $234.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.90, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. KGI Securities set a $242.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $276.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.50.

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.