Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its target price increased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $217.00 to $228.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the technology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential downside of 0.49% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on IBM. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bernstein Bank raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.13.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $229.13 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.44. The company has a market cap of $211.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 12 month low of $162.62 and a 12 month high of $239.35. 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 (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 40.52%. Sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 25,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,463,928. This trade represents a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. 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.