International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 0.4% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) traded down 0.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $262.15 and last traded at $263.37. 1,722,231 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 63% from the average session volume of 4,606,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of 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 eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.1 %

The firm has a market cap of $244.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.17, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $234.00 and a 200 day moving average of $220.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued 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 2.53%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,176,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after buying an additional 2,702,340 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $592,746,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at about $573,306,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.