Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Reduces Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,930 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for 1.6% of Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $600,373,000 after buying an additional 2,702,340 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $573,306,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake 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 worth $12,307,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 90.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $370,909,000 after acquiring an additional 800,930 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 23,311.1% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,262,000 after purchasing an additional 694,204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of IBM stock opened at $254.85 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $230.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.78. 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 capitalization of $235.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.