International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.6% – What’s Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares traded up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $258.94 and last traded at $257.17. 1,735,796 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 4,464,147 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.53.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $226.61 and a 200-day moving average of $214.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.69, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS 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 analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Company 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.