International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 1.6% – Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares traded up 1.6% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $226.20 and last traded at $223.71. 724,018 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,207,840 shares. The stock had previously closed at $220.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bernstein Bank increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their target price on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.94.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.3 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $222.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $206.53 billion, a PE ratio of 32.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.73.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $29,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc grew its stake in International Business Machines by 54.3% during the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 284 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.