Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 140,390 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,831 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $30,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IBM. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,803 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,148,717,000 after purchasing an additional 294,276 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.5% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,726,700 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $602,819,000 after purchasing an additional 12,400 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after buying an additional 2,702,340 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at about $573,306,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $252.31 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $229.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.15. 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 $265.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.