International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Given New $222.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $208.00 to $222.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the technology company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. DZ Bank downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.94.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $229.34 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.73. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $157.88 and a 12-month high of $239.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $222.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $202.45.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,463,928. This represents a 12.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lantz Financial LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 0.9% in the second quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 11,935 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 2,079 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 183.9% during the 2nd quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 6,757 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after acquiring an additional 4,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vicus Capital lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 4.6% during the second quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 3,556 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is 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.