International Business Machines Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:IBM)

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 44,777 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 35% compared to the average volume of 33,200 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of International Business Machines to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $209.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Bernstein Bank boosted their price objective on International Business Machines from $185.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $205.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $208.12.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $223.02 on Friday. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $153.92 and a 12-month high of $237.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market cap of $206.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $219.45 and its 200-day moving average is $195.21.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 97.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Nickle Jaclyn Lamoreaux sold 3,600 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.20, for a total transaction of $774,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 25,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,463,928. The trade was a 12.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 37.0% during the second quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 222 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 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.