National Pension Service Purchases 145,931 Shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

National Pension Service increased its holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,129,145 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 145,931 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.23% of International Business Machines worth $468,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at $221,000. Autumn Glory Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 138.4% in the third quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC now owns 6,293 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,391,000 after buying an additional 3,653 shares during the period. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 13,125 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,901,000 after buying an additional 2,230 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,610 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, abrdn plc increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 1,476,726 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $325,242,000 after acquiring an additional 40,345 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $257.12 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $236.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.25. International Business Machines Co. has a 52-week low of $162.62 and a 52-week high of $265.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 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%. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wedbush began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on International Business Machines from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer started coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $231.44.

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.