Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 1,539,888 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of International Business Machines worth $20,189,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JBR Co Financial Management Inc lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Callan Capital LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its position in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 10,425 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,292,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in International Business Machines by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 2,376 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $243.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $226.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $246.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $229.91. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $266.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

International Business Machines Company 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.