International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) traded down 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $214.61 and last traded at $217.04. 863,560 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 2,890,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $217.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Bernstein Bank raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $215.81.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $201.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a P/E/G ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.74. The firm's 50-day moving average is $222.34 and its 200-day moving average is $210.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.03. The company 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%. International Business Machines's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company's stock worth $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 4.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 8,487,827 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,467,974,000 after purchasing an additional 330,694 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines by 6.4% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,366,715 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,274,074,000 after purchasing an additional 444,698 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,148,717,000 after buying an additional 294,276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,796,206 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $829,431,000 after buying an additional 304,390 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.