International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 1.9% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) fell 1.9% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $249.93 and last traded at $252.13. 1,587,595 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 3,909,097 shares. The stock had previously closed at $256.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $243.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.58. 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 firm has a market cap of $227.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.33, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $221,000. United Bank raised its position in International Business Machines by 53.3% during the third quarter. United Bank now owns 5,628 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,956 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 33.0% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 15,326 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,388,000 after acquiring an additional 3,801 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 6,205 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 89.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,006 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,318,000 after purchasing an additional 7,095 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.