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

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $231.44.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. IronOak Wealth LLC. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $235,000. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $673,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $1,404,000. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,028,000 after buying an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

IBM stock opened at $261.67 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $241.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.62. The company has a market capitalization of $242.63 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

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.