International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) traded down 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as low as $251.89 and last traded at $255.41. 1,501,805 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 4,321,302 shares. The stock had previously closed at $258.27.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $236.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.86, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $226.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $214.36.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 40.37%. Equities analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.54 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Plan Group Financial LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 4,619 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after buying an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,404 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $86,000. Callahan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 5,558 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,222,000 after purchasing an additional 2,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mcdonald Partners LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 18,726 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,117,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.