International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 0.1% - Should You Buy?

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of 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. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $233.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The business's 50 day moving average price is $240.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.58.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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 expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Activity

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,634,577,000 after buying an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $573,306,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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