International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 1.4%

Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $185.71 and last traded at $183.75. Approximately 4,473,654 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 37% from the average daily volume of 3,265,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $181.25.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $144.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.08.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $188.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $168.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The technology company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.78 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 12.13% and a return on equity of 39.55%. The business had revenue of $17.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.60 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $1.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $31,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.