Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Purchases 6,549 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5,550.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,667 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,549 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 56.0% during 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 period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% during 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 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.13.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $227.31 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $251.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.54. 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 cap of $210.78 billion, a PE ratio of 35.46, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was 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. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.