Teacher Retirement System of Texas Acquires 21,568 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 385,908 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,568 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in International Business Machines were worth $84,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Avondale Wealth Management increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $252.54 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $245.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.33. 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 one year low of $162.62 and a one year high of $266.45. The firm has a market cap of $234.17 billion, a PE ratio of 39.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, equities analysts predict that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on 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. StockNews.com cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, 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. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total value of $6,715,644.43. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. This represents a 37.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.