SFE Investment Counsel Trims Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 38,143 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 375 shares during the period. International Business Machines accounts for 1.8% of SFE Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $8,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America increased 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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.com, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.5 %

IBM opened at $255.86 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $231.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.92, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72. 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 (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

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

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.