Vest Financial LLC Raises Stock Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 18.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 357,096 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,249 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises approximately 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $100,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 424.6% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 260,740 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $77,234,000 after acquiring an additional 211,040 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 64,458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,624,000 after purchasing an additional 12,791 shares in the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 18,288 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,930 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,317,000. Finally, Sage Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,101,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of IBM stock opened at $236.17 on Monday. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1-year low of $199.19 and a 1-year high of $332.46. The company has a market cap 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 current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $247.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.43.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93. The firm had revenue of $17.16 billion for 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

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

Key International Business Machines News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on IBM. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $293.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus dropped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $360.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wedbush set a $350.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $270.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of International Business Machines to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.40.

International Business Machines Profile

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.