International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Position Cut by Optimist Retirement Group LLC

Optimist Retirement Group LLC lowered its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,053 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 521 shares during the period. International Business Machines accounts for 1.1% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of IBM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 164.0% during the first quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 198 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $214.86 on Thursday. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $135.87 and a fifty-two week high of $218.84. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $197.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $15.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.18 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.1 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.60.

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.