Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $7.53 Million Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,282 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 27.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,158,366 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $288,039,000 after acquiring an additional 250,283 shares during the last quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 3.5% during the first quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 25,334 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,300,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,183,000. Finally, RTD Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter worth $202,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $276.84 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $252.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $243.67. International Business Machines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $167.23 and a fifty-two week high of $283.06. The company has a market capitalization of $257.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.19, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.66. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (up from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.31.

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.