International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wedbush assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $263.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $243.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.04, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $265.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,702,340 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at $573,306,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after buying an additional 1,200,803 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $370,909,000 after buying an additional 800,930 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 23,311.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $153,262,000 after purchasing an additional 694,204 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.