International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.9% - Should You Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares fell 0.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $243.68 and last traded at $244.07. 419,558 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 3,883,765 shares. The stock had previously closed at $246.21.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.13.

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International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The company has a market capitalization of $232.96 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $250.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.13.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.