IBM plans to buy back $8 billion more of its shares and boost its dividend 15 percent, bullish moves by the tech giant.

The dividend will increase 10 cents a share to 75 cents, and marks the 16th straight year IBM is raising the payout. That move and the stock repurchase plan signal to Wall Street that IBM is confident its long-term prospects allow it to return more of its cash to investors.

New York-based IBM employs about 10,000 people at its Research Triangle Park campus, and its stock is owned by many employees and retirees in this region. It's also one of the world's most widely held stocks.

Cisco Systems, a major Triangle employer and one of the world's most widely held stocks, will pay its first cash dividend.

The California technology company announced this morning that it will pay 6 cents a share on April 20 to shareholders as of March 31. That's a dividend yield of about 1.4 percent, Bloomberg News reported.

Cisco is returning cash to its investors to boost shares that have fallen 35 percent in the past year. Wall Street soured on the company as sales growth slows and competition increases.