International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading Down 1% – Should You Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price traded down 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $247.67 and last traded at $247.78. 593,693 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 3,885,614 shares. The stock had previously closed at $250.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $249.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $226.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities research analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its position 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 last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other 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.