Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Buys 25,457 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 25.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,734 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,457 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $27,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,803 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,148,717,000 after buying an additional 294,276 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in International Business Machines by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,726,700 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $602,819,000 after acquiring an additional 12,400 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,306,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,473,421 shares of the technology company's stock worth $546,824,000 after acquiring an additional 32,732 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $2.88 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $253.07. 5,340,963 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,918,347. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $265.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $238.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.98.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. On average, equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.