Narus Financial Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Narus Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,238 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 175 shares during the quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 12.9 %

NYSE:IBM opened at $258.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.06. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $261.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.28, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $225.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.55.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 40.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.