International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 1% – Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) traded up 1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $249.45 and last traded at $249.44. 542,697 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 3,867,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $246.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.1 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $246.29 and a 200-day moving average of $229.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $223.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.56, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IBM. JBR Co Financial Management Inc increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.0% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.