International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Purchased by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 211.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,740 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,803 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $5,997,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Portus Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM continues to get credit for growth in quantum computing and AI, including new enterprise software tools and multi-agent capabilities that could support future revenue. IBM Advances Enterprise AI Software Development with Multi-Agent Capabilities and Specialized Modernization Workflows
• Positive Sentiment: The stock still has implied upside to Susquehanna’s target, suggesting analysts see value if IBM can convert its AI and quantum strengths into stronger earnings growth. Susquehanna coverage note
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM’s latest product updates for its Bob platform and other AI tools reinforce its enterprise strategy, but these launches are not yet enough to change the near-term investment view. IBM Upgrades Bob With Multi-Agent AI
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks’ move to build internal AI tools to replace Microsoft and IBM software highlights a potential risk to IBM’s enterprise software revenue if other large customers follow suit. There Are So Many Reasons to Like IBM Right Now—Just Not Enough to Buy the Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious heading into IBM’s upcoming Q2 earnings, with concerns that AI could pressure parts of the consulting and mainframe business even as newer growth areas expand. Susquehanna Praises IBM’s Quantum and AI Growth but Rates the Stock a Hold – Here’s Why

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. HSBC upgraded International Business Machines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $218.00 to $231.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup raised their target price on International Business Machines from $285.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Susquehanna assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Friday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $303.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $380.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $306.28.

International Business Machines Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE:IBM traded down $7.45 on Friday, reaching $287.85. The stock had a trading volume of 3,633,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,627,529. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The company has a 50-day moving average of $263.77 and a 200 day moving average of $266.17. The stock has a market cap of $270.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.68. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12-month low of $212.34 and a 12-month high of $332.46.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The company had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.45 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $1.69 per share. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 59.77%.

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.