International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.8% Higher – Still a Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) traded up 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $242.54 and last traded at $242.63. 863,923 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 4,201,289 shares. The stock had previously closed at $240.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. UBS Group upped their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $276.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $232.75.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $219.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $248.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.