Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Increases Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,050 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,673 shares during the period. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,076,195 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $11,515,290,000 after purchasing an additional 365,388 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,592,094 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,337,660,000 after buying an additional 3,084,458 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,297,545 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,119,007,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105,170 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 98,797.1% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,029,001 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,553,876,000 after buying an additional 11,017,849 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,970,674 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,398,886,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $181.83. 1,299,358 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,757,104. The company has a market cap of $166.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.70. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $120.55 and a 12-month high of $199.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $188.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.63.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were given a $1.66 dividend. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 81.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on IBM. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, January 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $178.67.

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.