Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 5,958 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 200,648 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,958 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $44,108,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $221,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 3.6% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 4,107 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 5,628 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 1,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $237,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on IBM shares. StockNews.com raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $261.67 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.82, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $241.29 and a 200 day moving average of $226.62. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $265.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.