International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Upgraded by Erste Group Bank to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on IBM. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $252.54 on Monday. International Business Machines has a one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $266.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $245.88 and its 200 day moving average is $229.33. The firm has a market cap of $234.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.40, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. Equities research analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at $11,387,221.07. This trade represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. JBR Co Financial Management Inc raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. JBR Co Financial Management Inc now owns 6,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 3,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $873,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by 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.