International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Research Coverage Started at Wedbush

Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating on the technology company’s stock.

IBM has been the topic of several other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $263.03 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. International Business Machines has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $265.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $228.01 and a 200-day moving average of $215.86. The company has a market cap of $243.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 38.99%. On average, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.73 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 given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the company’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 value of $774,720.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by 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.