International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shot up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $261.18 and last traded at $261.65. 629,097 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 4,634,042 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wedbush started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $241.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50-day moving average of $232.08 and a 200-day moving average of $219.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.