International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.4% Higher - Still a Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $227.20 and last traded at $223.32. Approximately 1,175,821 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 4,219,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $208.12.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.2 %

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $219.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $205.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.71.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its position in 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 37.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 222 shares of the technology company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 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.

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