MFA Wealth Services Buys New Shares in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

MFA Wealth Services purchased a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,408 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $529,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $225.63 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $239.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $223.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.90. The company has a market cap of $208.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.84, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The company had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.73.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

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

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.