International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.53.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $215.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock.

International Business Machines Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $176.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $131.70 and a 12-month high of $199.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.29.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 75.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the first quarter worth about $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.