International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Acquired by Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC

Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,539 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $778,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $262.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $243.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.01, a PEG ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72. 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 of $233.32 and a 200 day moving average of $220.66.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.