UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lowered its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,907 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc raised its position in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Callan Capital LLC lifted its position in International Business Machines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 10,425 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,292,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Wealth Partners Inc. increased its position in International Business Machines by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 2,376 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $250.26 on Thursday. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $266.45. The company has a market cap of $232.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $248.65 and its 200 day moving average is $230.90. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IBM. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on 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. 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.