International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 2.5% - What's Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) was down 2.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $233.46 and last traded at $237.31. Approximately 1,803,226 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 4,116,153 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.13.

International Business Machines Trading Down 2.2 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $213.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The business's 50 day moving average price is $250.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.80.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing 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 fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 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.