International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $231.44.

Several research firms recently weighed in on IBM. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction 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 represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 413.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650,534 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $573,306,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake 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 period. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $261.67 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $241.29 and its 200-day moving average is $226.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72.

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 return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

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.