International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $231.44.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $255.86 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $230.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $218.22. International Business Machines has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $265.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

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.