United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases New Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

United Asset Strategies Inc. bought a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,416 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $395,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 477,193 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $78,045,000 after acquiring an additional 80,474 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 18.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 372,307 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $52,235,000 after purchasing an additional 57,170 shares during the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 3.2% during the third quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 21,880 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after buying an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Tsfg LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 378 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $661,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $183.05 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $188.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.93. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $120.55 and a 1 year high of $199.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.70.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $1.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 5th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Evercore raised International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.67.

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.