StockNews.com Downgrades International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of International Business Machines to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.12.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $223.02 on Wednesday. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $153.92 and a 52-week high of $237.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $219.45 and a 200 day moving average of $195.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $206.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.71.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.08 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.23%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,307,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,803 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 4.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 8,487,827 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,467,974,000 after buying an additional 330,694 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in International Business Machines by 6.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 7,366,715 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,274,074,000 after buying an additional 444,698 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 6.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,148,717,000 after buying an additional 294,276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,796,206 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $829,431,000 after acquiring an additional 304,390 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.