Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 2,069 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 40,432 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,069 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $8,888,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised 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 issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of IBM opened at $252.63 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $238.37 and its 200 day moving average is $224.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72. The company has a market capitalization of $234.25 billion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

International Business Machines Company 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.