International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.2% – Here’s Why

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) shares shot up 0.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $263.25 and last traded at $262.13. 803,453 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,618,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $261.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $242.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.99, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.30.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. 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 Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Challenger Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth approximately $398,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 14,808 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.