International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was down 0.2% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $230.95 and last traded at $231.21. Approximately 546,019 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 4,170,609 shares. The stock had previously closed at $231.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America increased their price target on International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Bernstein Bank increased their price target on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.71.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $189.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.27. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The company had revenue of $15.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.18 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at $7,160,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 60.8% in the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,535 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 7,768 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 10.8% in the first quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 2,571 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $491,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Smith Thornton Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter valued at $702,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $618,000. 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.