International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 27.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 229,906 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 87,252 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises about 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $68,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at about $852,000. Waverton Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 993,743 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $280,439,000 after buying an additional 32,072 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 114,395 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,278,000 after acquiring an additional 38,973 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 12,537 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,537,000 after acquiring an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 347,155 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $97,953,000 after acquiring an additional 12,623 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded International Business Machines to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $361.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.60.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM stock opened at $237.17 on Tuesday. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $214.50 and a 1 year high of $324.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.27, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $264.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $284.53.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a $1.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 60.27%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at $2,814,432. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at $101,265.22. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157 in the last 90 days. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM’s principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.