Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Decreases Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lessened its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,188 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $9,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $573,306,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,200,803 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.0 %

International Business Machines stock opened at $243.83 on Friday. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $266.45. The stock has a market cap of $226.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $249.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.29.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.