LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Buys 17,400 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 81.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,845 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 17,400 shares during the quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 97.6% in the 1st quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 257,335 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $33,459,000 after buying an additional 127,093 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 35.7% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 177,599 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $23,157,000 after purchasing an additional 46,756 shares in the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.9% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 95,662 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 382,232 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $49,698,000 after purchasing an additional 5,506 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Thursday, reaching $191.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,184,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,179,400. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $175.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.70. International Business Machines Co. has a 1-year low of $120.55 and a 1-year high of $199.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.98.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The technology company reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.78 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $17.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.29 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 39.55% and a net margin of 12.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were given a dividend of $1.66 per share. This represents a $6.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 5th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $144.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.85.

International Business Machines Profile

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.