International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Up 1.5% - Here's What Happened

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 1.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $248.49 and last traded at $249.13. 1,349,560 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 4,199,548 shares. The stock had previously closed at $245.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $248.50.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $231.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.88, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.64. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $243.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 115.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 134.3% in the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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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