Lifeworks Advisors LLC Purchases 3,082 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Lifeworks Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,326 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,082 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up approximately 1.3% of Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,326,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction 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 approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Up 5.2 %

IBM opened at $261.67 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $241.29 and its 200 day moving average is $226.20. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. 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.