International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on IBM. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on International Business Machines from $186.00 to $179.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $190.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Societe Generale restated a sell rating and issued a $143.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Evercore upgraded International Business Machines from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price target for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $184.08.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $164.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $150.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $120.55 and a 52-week high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.21% and a net margin of 13.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.36 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 9.98 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 75.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 971.4% in the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. 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.