Ascent Capital Management LLC Makes New $230,000 Investment in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Ascent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,045 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth 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 holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $248.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.71, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $244.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.26. 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.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced 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 return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on IBM. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.