StockNews.com Lowers International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) to Hold

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

IBM has been the subject of several other reports. Bank of America increased their price target on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore raised International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday, January 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.23.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $184.01 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $188.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.98. International Business Machines has a 1-year low of $120.55 and a 1-year high of $199.18. The company has a market cap of $168.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 39.55% and a net margin of 12.13%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 971.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.