Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,484 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,243 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $19,891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 40.9% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 572 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,940,000. Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $373,000. Finally, Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,117,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $262.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $242.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $235.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.79. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%. Research analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

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.