International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $247.64 and last traded at $249.05. Approximately 762,326 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 4,192,727 shares. The stock had previously closed at $252.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $248.50.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $231.72 billion, a PE ratio of 38.90, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $243.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.80. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $1.68 dividend. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other 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 transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JBR Co Financial Management Inc raised its stake in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $873,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.9% during the first quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,805 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,195,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. DMC Group LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1.2% during the first quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.