International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $330.0667.

Several analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. Argus set a $360.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on International Business Machines from $312.00 to $317.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,814,432. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $257.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $294.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.45. International Business Machines has a 1-year low of $214.50 and a 1-year high of $324.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $240.41 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.27%.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM’s principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.