International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $220.73.

IBM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE IBM opened at $224.69 on Friday. International Business Machines has a 12 month low of $162.62 and a 12 month high of $239.35. The company has a 50-day moving average of $224.33 and a 200-day moving average of $212.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $207.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.16 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.23%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in 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 acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 58.96% of the stock is 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.