International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 0.5% on Strong Earnings

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) was up 0.5% during trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $227.84 and last traded at $226.86. Approximately 949,102 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 3,534,112 shares. The stock had previously closed at $225.66.

The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 40.37%.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $225.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 128.6% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 8,558 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 4,814 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in International Business Machines by 4.7% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 8,470 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,873,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 39.9% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,649 shares of the technology company's stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 187,647 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $41,485,000 after buying an additional 12,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Curbstone Financial Management Corp grew its position in International Business Machines by 11.4% in the third quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 3,090 shares of the technology company's stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.1 %

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $214.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $236.23 billion, a PE ratio of 39.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74.

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.