Paragon Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Paragon Capital Management LLC decreased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,125 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 228 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 2.1% of Paragon Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Paragon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,984,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $243.42 on Friday. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $266.45. The company has a market capitalization of $225.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) 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 38.99%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.