International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 2.6% – What’s Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was up 2.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $255.04 and last traded at $255.82. Approximately 1,231,314 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 4,705,056 shares. The stock had previously closed at $249.27.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on IBM. Bank of America lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Up 2.2 %

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 business has a 50 day moving average of $230.19 and a 200-day moving average of $217.78. The stock has a market cap of $235.67 billion, a PE ratio of 39.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702,340 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,306,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in International Business Machines by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in International Business Machines by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.