Jefferies Financial Group Raises International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Price Target to $270.00

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $245.00 to $270.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the technology company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.68% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on IBM. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $255.48 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $225.96 and a 200-day moving average of $213.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $261.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.86, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.37% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 10,425 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,292,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its stake in International Business Machines by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 2,049 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 3,123 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $687,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Goldstein Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 4.0% during the third quarter. Goldstein Advisors LLC now owns 1,217 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Vertex Planning Partners LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vertex Planning Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.