Short Interest in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Declines By 6.7%

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,620,000 shares, a decrease of 6.7% from the January 15th total of 21,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IBM. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,236,176,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $600,373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702,340 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,746,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $573,306,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock traded up $0.22 on Tuesday, hitting $261.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 758,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,618,493. 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 market capitalization of $241.80 billion, a PE ratio of 40.73, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $232.70 and its 200-day moving average is $220.14. 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) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wedbush began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

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.