International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares traded up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $241.14 and last traded at $240.03. 458,779 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,200,036 shares. The stock had previously closed at $239.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Erste Group Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $232.75.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.8 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $248.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $221.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.27, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 1st quarter valued at about $221,000. Aries Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.7% during the first quarter. Aries Wealth Management now owns 12,187 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 20.1% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 14,115 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the period. Massachusetts Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 10.2% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 4,858 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dohj LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Hedge funds and other 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.