Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,016 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 7.2% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 187,647 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,485,000 after buying an additional 12,599 shares in the last quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $251,000. Olistico Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC now owns 3,290 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 1,025 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.3% in the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 16,548 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,658,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 12.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 849 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $263.03 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72. The company has a market cap of $243.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.04, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $228.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.19.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. 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.