Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC Takes Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,462 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $403,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P increased its position in International Business Machines by 97.6% during the 1st quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 257,335 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $33,459,000 after purchasing an additional 127,093 shares in the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter worth about $203,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 35.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 177,599 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $23,157,000 after buying an additional 46,756 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.9% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 95,662 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,438,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1.5% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 382,232 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $49,698,000 after acquiring an additional 5,506 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $190.80 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $186.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $163.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $120.55 and a 52 week high of $199.18. The company has a market cap of $174.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The technology company reported $3.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.78 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 39.55% and a net margin of 12.13%. The company had revenue of $17.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.29 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.60 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $1.66 dividend. This represents a $6.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on IBM. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Societe Generale reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $143.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $176.85.

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.