International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.3% – What’s Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shot up 0.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $232.88 and last traded at $230.15. 806,594 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,196,733 shares. The stock had previously closed at $229.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.13.

International Business Machines Trading Up 3.0 %

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 market cap of $219.22 billion, a PE ratio of 36.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $249.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.85.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.