Hills Bank & Trust Co Cuts Position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)

Hills Bank & Trust Co lessened its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,440 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 886 shares during the quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $2,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 91,839,252 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,189,023,000 after buying an additional 1,539,888 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,909,646 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,589,145,000 after acquiring an additional 427,499 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 413.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,984,609 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,634,577,000 after acquiring an additional 9,650,534 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in International Business Machines by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,845,993 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,384,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,112,092 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,783,281,000 after purchasing an additional 722,582 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM traded down $2.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $289.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,560,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,223,880. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. International Business Machines Corporation has a one year low of $173.38 and a one year high of $296.16. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $262.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.66. The firm has a market cap of $269.24 billion, a PE ratio of 49.86, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.66.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The technology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $14.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 37.43%. International Business Machines's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $1.68 dividend. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.67. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 115.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KGI Securities set a $242.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on International Business Machines from $237.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $170.00 price target (up previously from $160.00) on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $253.75.

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.