Metis Global Partners LLC Acquires 2,857 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,264 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,857 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $8,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 971.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 67.9% in the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cordant Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 753.3% during the fourth quarter. Cordant Inc. now owns 256 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.29.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock traded up $1.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,400,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,768,629. The company has a market capitalization of $152.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $120.55 and a 12-month high of $199.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $185.75 and its 200-day moving average is $171.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.92 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 75.20%.

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.