International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Down 0.8% – Should You Sell?

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was down 0.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $261.75 and last traded at $262.31. Approximately 1,257,926 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 4,698,344 shares. The stock had previously closed at $264.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.53.

International Business Machines Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $229.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $216.45.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. On average, analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.73 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IBM. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $373,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,117,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 75,638 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $16,615,000 after purchasing an additional 4,625 shares in the last quarter. 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.