International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 37,084 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,703 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $10,428,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,021,912 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,523,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,976,756 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 83.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,617,117 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,663,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,553,552 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 359.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,896,675 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $561,814,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,216,131 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,796,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,439,824 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on IBM. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Argus cut their price target on International Business Machines from $360.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 price objective on the stock. Wedbush set a $350.00 price objective on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on International Business Machines from $291.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.40.

International Business Machines News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting International Business Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Industry research projects the global hyperscale data-center market will expand from $162.79 billion in 2024 to $608.54 billion by 2030, driven by AI, machine learning and cloud-computing demand. This supports IBM’s infrastructure, consulting and hybrid-cloud opportunities, although the report is not an IBM-specific contract announcement. Hyperscale Data Center Market Surges to $608.54 billion
• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s modular cryogenic technology is designed to help scale its quantum systems toward 1,000 programmable qubits and support its Quantum Starling plans by 2029. The development strengthens IBM’s technology narrative and long-term growth potential, though commercial revenue benefits remain several years away. Can IBM Scale Quantum Computing With Its New Cryogenic Systems?
• Positive Sentiment: A power producer and Cohesive received an award for improving workplace safety using IBM Maximo, providing third-party recognition of the software’s industrial asset-management capabilities. The item is supportive of IBM’s enterprise-software credibility but does not indicate a material near-term financial impact. CEPR and Cohesive Receive Maximo Award
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks review notes that IBM has risen 13.1% since its latest earnings report, indicating continued investor support after the results. However, the company’s reported revenue missed expectations while earnings per share matched estimates, leaving valuation and execution important considerations. Why Is IBM Up Since Its Last Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld announced an investigation into potential securities-law violations related to IBM’s prior stock decline. The notice appears to be an investor-solicitation announcement rather than a finding of wrongdoing, but it can weigh on sentiment and introduce potential legal risk. IBM Ongoing Investigation

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $236.17 on Friday. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $199.19 and a 1 year high of $332.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $247.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.88. The company has a market capitalization of $222.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.79.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.93. The firm had revenue of $17.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.46 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.52% and a return on equity of 35.65%. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.98%.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM’s principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.