International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Short Interest Up 9.4% in December

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 23,140,000 shares, an increase of 9.4% from the November 30th total of 21,150,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,170,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.5 days.

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 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the second quarter worth $7,160,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $5,117,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth about $24,761,000. Finally, Aljian Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $611,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bernstein Bank lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $208.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $208.94.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM stock traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $219.30. 208,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,201,144. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $157.88 and a 52-week high of $239.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $221.08 and a 200 day moving average of $205.99. The company has a market cap of $202.78 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.73.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.23%.

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.