Private Advisor Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 156,216 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,871 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $25,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 13,794 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,256,000 after buying an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $321,000. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 51,264 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,384,000 after buying an additional 2,857 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $528,000. Finally, River Global Investors LLP grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. River Global Investors LLP now owns 26,820 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,387,000 after buying an additional 12,861 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $215.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 research report on Thursday, March 7th. Evercore upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.29.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM traded up $2.93 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $168.64. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,221,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,970,316. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $185.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $171.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.13. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $120.55 and a 1-year high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.96%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.20%.

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.