International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s stock price was down 0.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $263.05 and last traded at $264.41. Approximately 974,063 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 4,593,033 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $242.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.84, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.05.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $373,000. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth $5,117,000. 58.96% of the stock is 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.