International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 0.5% – Still a Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s stock price shot up 0.5% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $257.63 and last traded at $257.10. 777,582 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 4,626,673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $255.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $234.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $238.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 38.99%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JBR Co Financial Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $873,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Titleist Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. 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.