International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 0.1% - Here's What Happened

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) fell 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $217.38 and last traded at $219.91. 572,737 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 2,944,885 shares. The stock had previously closed at $220.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bernstein Bank boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $215.81.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $207.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 50 day moving average price of $222.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $210.66.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. International Business Machines's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.23%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. 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.