Leavell Investment Management Inc. Purchases 672 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,158 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 672 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $4,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 232.8% during the fourth quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 3,917 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,740 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,897 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. New Republic Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. New Republic Capital LLC now owns 1,711 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 35,557 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,816,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Single Point Partners LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $364,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:IBM opened at $254.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $230.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.78. International Business Machines Co. has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $265.72.

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, topping 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 10.75 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on IBM. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.