Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Sells 615 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp cut its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,554 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 615 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for about 1.2% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth $573,306,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 23,311.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $153,262,000 after buying an additional 694,204 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE IBM opened at $251.40 on Thursday. International Business Machines Co. has a 12 month low of $162.62 and a 12 month high of $265.72. The company has a market capitalization of $233.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value 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 $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.