Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. Has $2 Million Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,092 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 1.6% of Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $218,000. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 6.0% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 6,982 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 5.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 300,740 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $66,488,000 after purchasing an additional 14,677 shares during the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth approximately $213,000. Finally, Crane Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $221,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $255.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $265.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $231.15 and a 200-day moving average of $218.49.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

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.