Narus Financial Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Narus Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,238 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Narus Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 40.9% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $1,940,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,117,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 75,638 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $16,615,000 after buying an additional 4,625 shares during the period. Finally, M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,034,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 12.9 %

IBM stock opened at $258.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $225.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $213.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $261.80. The firm has a market cap of $238.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.28, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 40.37%. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.54 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.53.

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.