Essential Planning LLC. Takes Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Essential Planning LLC. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 14,950 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $3,332,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Liberty Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,300 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,165,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 2,639 shares of the technology company's stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $281,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 18,228 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,007,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the period. Finally, Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock traded down $3.96 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $245.67. The company had a trading volume of 3,861,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,911,158. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $243.72 and a 200 day moving average of $227.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $227.80 billion, a PE ratio of 38.33, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $266.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.44.

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.