Financial Symmetry Inc Takes Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Financial Symmetry Inc acquired a new stake in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 1,822 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,000. International Business Machines makes up about 0.3% of Financial Symmetry Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 477,193 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $78,045,000 after buying an additional 80,474 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 18.1% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 372,307 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $52,235,000 after buying an additional 57,170 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 3.2% during the third quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 21,880 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Tsfg LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 378 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth approximately $661,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $181.78. 792,160 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,750,373. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $188.56 and its 200 day moving average is $168.63. The stock has a market cap of $166.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.96. International Business Machines Co. has a 12 month low of $120.55 and a 12 month high of $199.18.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were given a $1.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $6.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $178.67.

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.