International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 0.6%

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares traded down 0.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $162.62 and last traded at $163.44. 993,653 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 4,962,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. BNP Paribas began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $181.29.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.2 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $186.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The company has a market capitalization of $150.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.06%. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,076,195 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $11,515,290,000 after buying an additional 365,388 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in International Business Machines by 13.4% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,257,789 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,280,968,000 after acquiring an additional 1,919,490 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,970,674 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,398,886,000 after acquiring an additional 404,948 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,691,369 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,219,399,000 after acquiring an additional 807,357 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,465,214 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,048,631,000 after purchasing an additional 61,028 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.