International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Down 0.5%

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)’s share price traded down 0.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $174.45 and last traded at $175.59. 487,043 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,440,476 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $186.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.53.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $161.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $170.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.29.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.79%. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.65%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IBM. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 58.96% of the stock is 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.