International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Up 0.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) traded up 0.2% on Friday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $260.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. International Business Machines traded as high as $226.63 and last traded at $226.58. 606,906 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 3,368,664 shares. The stock had previously closed at $226.04.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $220.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.75 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74. The business's 50 day moving average is $223.94 and its 200 day moving average is $212.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The firm 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

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.