International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Stake Raised by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,825 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,544 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $4,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its stake in International Business Machines by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 2,049 shares of the technology company's stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Goldstein Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the technology company's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 3.6% in the third quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the technology company's stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Forza Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,153 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,891,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sollinda Capital Management LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 3.7% during the third quarter. Sollinda Capital Management LLC now owns 1,360 shares of the technology company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com downgraded International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $215.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was 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 represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $224.73 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $207.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $239.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $222.87 and its 200 day moving average is $210.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The firm's revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.23%.

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.

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