International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.1% Higher - Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 0.1% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $255.99 and last traded at $252.61. 609,477 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 4,675,032 shares. The stock had previously closed at $252.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Bank of America upped 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, StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $239.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.40. The stock has a market cap of $234.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 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 (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

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 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. JBR Co Financial Management Inc grew its stake in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,405,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $873,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company's stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Company Profile

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.