712 Shares in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Purchased by Northwest Investment Counselors LLC

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 712 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 54.6% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 218 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 971.4% during the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $175.02 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.13. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $129.31 and a fifty-two week high of $199.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $170.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.33. The company has a market capitalization of $160.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.21% and a net margin of 13.18%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on IBM. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on International Business Machines from $186.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $182.53.

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.