International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.6% - What's Next?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $234.34 and last traded at $237.92. 1,071,389 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 4,986,847 shares. The stock had previously closed at $239.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on IBM. Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Oppenheimer began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $242.41.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $244.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $223.27 billion, a PE ratio of 37.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. International Business Machines's revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $1.68 dividend. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 114.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,888 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,589,145,000 after buying an additional 427,499 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,384,275,000 after buying an additional 1,704,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,112,092 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,783,281,000 after acquiring an additional 722,582 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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