Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Boosts Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 495,574 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina owned approximately 0.05% of International Business Machines worth $108,942,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management raised its position in International Business Machines by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

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International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IBM traded up $2.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $237.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,134,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,206,143. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.50 billion, a PE ratio of 37.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.67. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $162.62 and a twelve month high of $266.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $249.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.02.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on IBM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $276.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $232.75.

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.