International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Shares Sold by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,028 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 936 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $573,306,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after buying an additional 1,539,888 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $246.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $249.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.01. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $266.45. 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 (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.