International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $233.00 to $244.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the technology company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday. Finally, Bernstein Bank upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Up 12.9 %

IBM stock opened at $258.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.76 billion, a PE ratio of 40.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $261.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $225.24 and a 200 day moving average of $213.55.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 40.37%. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.54 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 5,013 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 14,657 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,222,000 after buying an additional 2,165 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its position in International Business Machines by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 508 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $441,000. 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.