Access Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Access Financial Services Inc. lessened its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,045 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,811 shares during the quarter. Access Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 971.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 67.9% during the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.1 %

International Business Machines stock opened at $190.96 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $120.55 and a one year high of $199.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $186.79 and a 200 day moving average of $164.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $175.06 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.55%. The firm had revenue of $17.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $1.66 per share. This represents a $6.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $144.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Societe Generale restated a “sell” rating and set a $143.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $176.85.

About International Business Machines

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.