International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 1.5% – What’s Next?

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) fell 1.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $246.54 and last traded at $249.36. 1,475,571 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 4,614,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $253.23.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $238.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.36. The stock has a market cap of $234.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $374,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $169,621,000. Finally, Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $455,000. 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.