International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $266.45 and last traded at $261.71, with a volume of 814280 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $261.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Wedbush started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Down 3.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $230.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $242.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $227.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $873,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Titleist Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently 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.