Stock Traders Buy High Volume of International Business Machines Call Options (NYSE:IBM)

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 66,764 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 107% compared to the typical volume of 32,299 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.53.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock traded down $0.58 on Friday, hitting $252.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,336,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,819,674. International Business Machines has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $265.72. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $229.26 and a 200-day moving average of $216.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid 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 2.64%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

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.