International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Sold by Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 99,028 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,556 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines comprises about 3.1% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $21,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position 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.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.3 %

IBM opened at $252.54 on Thursday. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $266.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.33. 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 stock has a market cap of $234.17 billion, a PE ratio of 39.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts expect 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 disclosed 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 yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

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.