International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 0.3% – What’s Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) rose 0.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $268.51 and last traded at $267.55. Approximately 756,874 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 4,213,034 shares. The stock had previously closed at $266.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $170.00 price target (up from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on International Business Machines from $276.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.06.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $249.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $243.74 and its 200 day moving average is $236.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. International Business Machines’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. Research analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $1.68 dividend. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 115.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 93,137,767 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $23,159,637,000 after buying an additional 1,298,515 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,589,145,000 after buying an additional 427,499 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,384,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,209 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 8,636,725 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,147,608,000 after purchasing an additional 524,633 shares during 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.