International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $184.93.

A number of research firms have commented on IBM. StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of International Business Machines to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $198.46 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $182.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $184.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.60. International Business Machines has a one year low of $135.87 and a one year high of $200.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $15.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.62 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.18 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 75.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IBM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $1,019,009,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 6.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 88,152,714 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $16,833,642,000 after acquiring an additional 5,546,855 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in International Business Machines by 151.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,515,666 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $671,352,000 after acquiring an additional 2,118,165 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,887,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in International Business Machines by 306.3% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,401,798 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $242,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056,759 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.