International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 1% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price fell 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $247.67 and last traded at $247.78. 593,693 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 3,885,614 shares. The stock had previously closed at $250.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” 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 issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.29. The company has a market cap of $226.10 billion, a PE ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. On average, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IBM. Milestone Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $368,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 231,021 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $50,785,000 after acquiring an additional 3,206 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $372,000. Finally, Triton Wealth Management PLLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 1,274 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. 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.