Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Boosts Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,209 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $373,000. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,117,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on IBM. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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 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. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $261.77 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $265.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $235.27 and a 200 day moving average of $222.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.05 billion, a PE ratio of 40.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted 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 net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

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.