J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Acquires 2,202 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 408,071 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,202 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises about 1.5% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $89,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $238.45 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $247.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $266.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Bank of America raised their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $276.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.18% 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.