Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 12.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,505 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 477,193 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $78,045,000 after buying an additional 80,474 shares during the last quarter. Tsfg LLC lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 378 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,398 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 48.1% in the third quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 19,692 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 6,397 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 2,736 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.6 %

IBM stock opened at $170.88 on Friday. 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 one year low of $130.91 and a one year high of $199.18. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $170.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.37. The company has a market capitalization of $156.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 75.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on 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. Bank of America lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.53.

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.