International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 1.1% – Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $224.44 and last traded at $224.41. 1,186,216 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 4,239,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $221.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Bernstein Bank raised their price target on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.94.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a market cap of $207.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $221.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $204.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.23%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings 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 stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 23,700.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 238 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by 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.