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 report published on Wednesday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on International Business Machines from $165.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Societe Generale reissued a sell rating and issued a $143.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and raised their target price for the company from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $181.29.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $165.71 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.01. International Business Machines has a 52 week low of $120.55 and a 52 week high of $199.18. The stock has a market cap of $152.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.13.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 9.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 971.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.