International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 772,470 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 59,095 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of International Business Machines worth $169,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in International Business Machines by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 495,574 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $108,942,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $373,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 811,062 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $178,296,000 after purchasing an additional 49,591 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $276.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $232.75.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:IBM traded up $4.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $245.39. 2,974,444 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,234,702. The firm has a market cap of $227.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.28, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.79. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $266.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.