International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on IBM. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $200.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of International Business Machines to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, DZ Bank cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.12.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $222.97 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 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 $206.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $219.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $195.39.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the second quarter valued at about $7,160,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $5,117,000. Aljian Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $611,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc lifted its position in International Business Machines by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 11,327 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,504,000 after purchasing an additional 3,887 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.