International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 0.5% Higher on Strong Earnings

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price traded up 0.5% during trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $227.84 and last traded at $226.86. 949,102 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 3,534,112 shares. The stock had previously closed at $225.66.

The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 40.37%.

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 given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Bank of America raised their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $225.53.

Insider Activity 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 on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $600,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,702,340 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $573,306,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,803 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 90.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,687,253 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $370,909,000 after acquiring an additional 800,930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 23,311.1% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 697,182 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $153,262,000 after acquiring an additional 694,204 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.1 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $225.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $213.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.23 billion, a PE ratio of 39.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

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.