International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,620,000 shares, a drop of 6.7% from the January 15th total of 21,030,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,189,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,803 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,589,145,000 after purchasing an additional 427,499 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 413.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,384,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,209 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE IBM traded up $1.46 during trading on Monday, hitting $260.65. The company had a trading volume of 3,922,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,199,203. The company’s fifty day moving average is $232.08 and its 200-day moving average is $219.64. The company has a market cap of $241.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $265.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS 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, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on IBM. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America increased their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.