Brokerages Set International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Price Target at $231.44

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $231.44.

IBM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 413.5% in the 4th 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 in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,236,176,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,746,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $573,306,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,384,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $248.15 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.47. 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 has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $266.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

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.