International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.3% - Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $250.54 and last traded at $251.05. 713,298 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,095,739 shares. The stock had previously closed at $250.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on IBM. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.13.

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International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $251.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.99, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. 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 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IBM. JBR Co Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 1.0% in 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 during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 3.1% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Callan Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.