International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 0.4% – Here’s Why

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s stock price fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $262.15 and last traded at $263.37. 1,722,231 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 4,606,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $234.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.96. The company has a market cap of $244.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.17, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.76. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,634,577,000 after buying an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,176,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $600,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,702,340 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $592,746,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at $573,306,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.