International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 0.5% - Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) shares were up 0.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $253.00 and last traded at $251.44. Approximately 1,481,170 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 3,919,567 shares. The stock had previously closed at $250.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Up 5.2 %

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's 50-day moving average is $241.29 and its 200-day moving average is $226.20. The company has a market cap of $242.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.