Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Grows Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,461 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th 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. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush started coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $249.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $230.92 billion, a PE ratio of 38.85, 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $242.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $227.42. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.