Investors Buy Large Volume of International Business Machines Call Options (NYSE:IBM)

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 66,764 call options on the company. This is an increase of 107% compared to the typical volume of 32,299 call options.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of IBM traded up $5.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $254.85. 4,799,778 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,849,514. The stock's 50-day moving average is $230.19 and its 200-day moving average is $217.78. The company has a market cap of $235.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. International Business Machines has a fifty-two week low of $162.62 and a fifty-two week high of $265.72. 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 (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its position in International Business Machines by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 2,220 shares of the technology company's stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association increased its position in International Business Machines by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 108,400 shares of the technology company's stock worth $23,830,000 after buying an additional 1,244 shares during the period. FineMark National Bank & Trust boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 9,269 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,038,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 89.6% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 2,543 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 1,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 46.1% in the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,493 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,186,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $231.44.

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.