International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.4% Higher – Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price was up 0.4% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $225.06 and last traded at $224.80. Approximately 1,228,610 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 4,210,837 shares. The stock had previously closed at $223.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bernstein Bank increased their price target on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $208.94.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $206.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The firm had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third 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 acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 54.3% during the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 284 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.