Optimist Retirement Group LLC Sells 242 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC trimmed its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,883 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 242 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up approximately 1.2% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $373,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $5,117,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 75,638 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $16,615,000 after purchasing an additional 4,625 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $263.03 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $228.01 and a 200 day moving average of $215.86. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $265.72. The company has a market cap of $243.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76. 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 (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% 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.