International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $184.93.

IBM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 19th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 2,422 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. McCollum Christoferson Group LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. McCollum Christoferson Group LLC now owns 1,779 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 23,315 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 5,329 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $189.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $174.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $176.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.91. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $135.87 and a 1 year high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $15.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.62 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 40.59%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.18 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 75.65%.

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.