International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Receives "Outperform" Rating from Wedbush

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating restated by stock analysts at Wedbush in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $300.00 target price on the technology company's stock. Wedbush's target price suggests a potential upside of 20.33% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $248.50.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock traded down $4.82 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $249.32. 2,900,243 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,208,418. The stock has a market cap of $231.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.90, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The firm's 50 day moving average is $243.01 and its 200 day moving average is $234.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $163.53 and a 52-week high of $266.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. Analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 4.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,094,106 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $241,885,000 after buying an additional 46,951 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 75,638 shares of the technology company's stock worth $16,615,000 after purchasing an additional 4,625 shares during the period. InvesTrust purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,851,000. First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in International Business Machines by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 15,722 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,456,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Private Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 3,070 shares of the technology company's stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.