International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) were up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $261.94 and last traded at $260.65. Approximately 3,922,262 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average daily volume of 5,199,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on IBM. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $241.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $232.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.64.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $873,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.