Verity & Verity LLC Grows Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Verity & Verity LLC increased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,957 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,090 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines makes up about 2.2% of Verity & Verity LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Verity & Verity LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $23,732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $2.07 on Friday, hitting $224.73. 5,481,686 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,994,162. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $239.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $210.31.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The company's revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank lowered shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bernstein Bank upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $215.81.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

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.