International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 1.8% – What’s Next?

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)’s stock price shot up 1.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $250.85 and last traded at $249.71. 6,075,229 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 0% from the average session volume of 6,093,992 shares. The stock had previously closed at $245.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Erste Group Bank lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Dbs Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $304.00 to $247.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.87.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a market cap of $234.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $284.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.29.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, Director David N. Farr purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,265.22. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,507 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $742,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. now owns 905 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,693 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $798,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,878,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM’s principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.