Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $217.00 to $228.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the technology company's stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com downgraded International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group upped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $227.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Trading Up 12.9 %

Shares of IBM traded up $29.59 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $258.22. 15,366,893 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,483,461. The business has a fifty day moving average of $225.24 and a 200-day moving average of $213.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.76 billion, a PE ratio of 37.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 1-year low of $162.62 and a 1-year high of $261.80.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. Analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.16 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business 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 $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 128.6% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 8,558 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 4,814 shares during the period. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter worth approximately $1,790,000. Sage Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 3.3% in the second quarter. Sage Advisors LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 50,609 shares of the technology company's stock worth $11,189,000 after acquiring an additional 9,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Doliver Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $208,000. 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.