International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $237.40 and last traded at $238.45. Approximately 4,626,569 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 4,222,049 shares. The stock had previously closed at $238.57.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on IBM. Bank of America upped their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.75.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $221.10 billion, a PE ratio of 37.20, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $247.94 and a 200 day moving average of $233.36. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Passumpsic Savings Bank boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 3.8% in the third quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 2,045 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $766,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 919 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 3,140 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines by 11.0% during the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,610 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. 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.