Nicholas Company Inc. Has $9.45 Million Stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Nicholas Company Inc. trimmed its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 42,980 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,165 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $9,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $248.15 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 12 month low of $162.62 and a 12 month high of $266.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $244.23 and its 200-day moving average is $228.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization 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 posted its earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

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.