Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Increases Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 32.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,146 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,873 shares during the period. International Business Machines accounts for 0.7% of Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,671,883 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,307,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,803 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,148,717,000 after acquiring an additional 294,276 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,726,700 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $602,819,000 after acquiring an additional 12,400 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 20,324.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,715,636 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $600,373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $573,306,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.1 %

International Business Machines stock traded down $2.97 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $261.77. The company had a trading volume of 5,665,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,735,325. The firm has a market cap of $242.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. International Business Machines Co. has a 1 year low of $162.62 and a 1 year high of $265.72. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $235.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.81.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.21%.

International Business Machines 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.