Sfmg LLC Lowers Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Sfmg LLC lessened its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,885 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the quarter. Sfmg LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $799,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its position in International Business Machines by 971.4% during the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM traded up $2.50 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $183.75. 4,473,654 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,265,758. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $188.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $168.44. The stock has a market cap of $168.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.70. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $120.55 and a 12-month high of $199.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The technology company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.78 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $17.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.29 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 39.55% and a net margin of 12.13%. The company’s revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $1.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $6.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 81.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Societe Generale reissued a “sell” rating and set a $143.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, January 5th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.08.

International Business Machines 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.