Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its target price raised by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $208.00 to $222.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the technology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential downside of 3.05% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on IBM. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. DZ Bank downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.94.

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $228.98 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $157.88 and a 12-month high of $239.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $222.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.33, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.73.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.03. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.52% and a net margin of 10.22%. The business had revenue of $14.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total value of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $24,761,000. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $249,000. 1ST Source Bank raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 31,244 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,907,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. now owns 10,660 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,357,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL now owns 34,793 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,692,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.