International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 0.5%

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price traded down 0.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $164.43 and last traded at $165.36. 911,126 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 4,973,212 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday, January 19th. Societe Generale reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $143.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $181.29.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

The company has a market cap of $152.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $186.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.82.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth $31,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 971.4% during the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.