International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 0.6% - Still a Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $261.94 and last traded at $260.65. 3,922,262 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 5,199,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on IBM. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $234.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $221.26. 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 $244.89 billion, a PE ratio of 41.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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 anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 104.21%.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 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.