Van Strum & Towne Inc. Acquires 2,130 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,946 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 2,130 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for about 0.0% of Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Van Strum & Towne Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,363,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $248.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $244.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.05. The stock has a market cap of $230.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on IBM shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.