Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Boosts Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,578 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 5,194 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $4,992,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,665,256 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,465,223,000 after buying an additional 126,547 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.5% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,726,700 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $602,819,000 after buying an additional 12,400 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $592,746,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $261.67 on Monday. International Business Machines Co. has a 12 month low of $162.62 and a 12 month high of $265.72. The stock has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $241.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.62.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on IBM shares. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.