Simmons Bank Lowers Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Simmons Bank trimmed its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,829 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 249 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at about $221,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,610 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 132.5% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,301 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,881 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,339 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,651 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $255.62 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.88, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.48.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

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.