International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.3% – Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) rose 0.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $250.61 and last traded at $249.24. Approximately 647,391 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 3,901,451 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on IBM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.4 %

The company has a market cap of $228.90 billion, a PE ratio of 38.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $248.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.