International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 1.5% – Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares rose 1.5% on Friday . The company traded as high as $253.31 and last traded at $252.43. Approximately 1,051,308 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 3,883,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $241.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. On average, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $221,000. TFB Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $203,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $43,000. Easterly Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in International Business Machines by 3.6% in the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 4,107 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.