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

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,620,000 shares, a decrease of 6.7% from the January 15th total of 21,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,330,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE IBM traded up $0.53 on Thursday, reaching $264.85. The company had a trading volume of 4,881,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,707,082. The firm has a market cap of $244.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $234.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.77 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Bank of America upped their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.44.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 443,233 shares of the technology company's stock worth $97,436,000 after acquiring an additional 42,557 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 8,270 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,506 shares during the period. Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $962,000. Wealth Management Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $507,000. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $167,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.