International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Purchased by Aviance Capital Partners LLC

Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 20.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,822 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $221,000. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $268,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 4.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,094,106 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $241,885,000 after acquiring an additional 46,951 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $5,338,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 5.2 %

International Business Machines stock opened at $261.67 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $265.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $241.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.20.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted 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%. On average, sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.