International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Up 1.1% - Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 1.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $225.96 and last traded at $225.09. 1,112,466 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 3,028,195 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.66.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $215.81.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $207.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $222.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $210.31.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.23%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.