Life Planning Partners Inc Makes New $36 Million Investment in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 163,773 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,002,000. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 5.0% of Life Planning Partners Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after buying an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,665,256 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,465,223,000 after purchasing an additional 126,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,176,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $592,746,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $243.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $249.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.47. The company has a market capitalization of $226.10 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $266.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on IBM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

International Business Machines Company 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.