International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price fell 0.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $263.05 and last traded at $264.41. 974,063 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 4,593,033 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on IBM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.1 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $235.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.05. 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 firm has a market cap of $242.05 billion, a PE ratio of 40.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS 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 forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 8.6% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 4,910 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 7.3% in the third quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,387 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth approximately $221,000. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 3.7% in the third quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Management Associates Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth approximately $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.