Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 34,101 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 857,640 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 34,101 shares during the period. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 1.4% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $188,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its holdings 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $243.83 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $266.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $249.51 and its 200 day moving average is $231.47. The company has a market cap of $226.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines 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.