International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.2%

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) rose 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $183.41 and last traded at $183.38. Approximately 740,875 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 4,773,978 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th. They set a “hold” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.67.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.0 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $166.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.56, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50-day moving average is $188.61 and its 200-day moving average is $168.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The technology company reported $3.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.78 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.55%. The firm had revenue of $17.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.60 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $1.66 per share. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 164.0% during the first quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 198 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.