International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. decreased its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,130 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 113 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $253.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $234.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $265.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $239.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.40.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 38.99%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents 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. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.