Analysts Set International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Price Target at $178.67

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $180.31.

Several research analysts have weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on International Business Machines from $215.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Bank of America boosted their price target on 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, Societe Generale reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $143.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday, January 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 164.0% in the first quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 198 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 56.9% in the first quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 204 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $169.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $155.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $188.00 and a 200-day moving average of $169.97. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $120.55 and a 52-week high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.53 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 39.55% and a net margin of 12.13%. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $1.66 per share. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.67%.

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.