International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Price Target Cut to $217.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its price objective trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $222.00 to $217.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the technology company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on IBM. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Bernstein Bank increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.53.

International Business Machines Stock Up 12.9 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $258.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $238.76 billion, a PE ratio of 37.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $261.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $213.55.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. As a group, research analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.16 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 97.23%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th 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. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.