International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) Short Interest Update

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 23,160,000 shares, an increase of 12.4% from the August 31st total of 20,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,640,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on International Business Machines from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. UBS Group raised their price target on International Business Machines from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on International Business Machines from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised International Business Machines to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.93.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 3,892 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,101 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,394 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Partners Capital Investment Group LLP increased its stake in International Business Machines by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Partners Capital Investment Group LLP now owns 2,637 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $431,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of IBM traded down $3.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $218.02. The stock had a trading volume of 1,505,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,221,807. The company has a market cap of $200.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $200.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $185.34. International Business Machines has a 1-year low of $135.87 and a 1-year high of $224.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.27. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 40.59% and a net margin of 13.52%. The business had revenue of $15.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.18 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.65%.

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.