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

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) was upgraded by analysts at Erste Group Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

IBM opened at $246.80 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $245.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $229.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.00. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $266.45. The firm has a market cap of $228.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.50, 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JBR Co Financial Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its holdings 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 worth $873,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

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.