Vest Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Vest Financial LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 18.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 357,096 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 56,249 shares during the quarter. International Business Machines makes up approximately 1.1% of Vest Financial LLC’s 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 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 21,011 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,619,000 after buying an additional 2,323 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 10.6% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 38,617 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $11,383,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,017 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC set a $175.00 target price on International Business Machines and gave the stock a “reduce” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. KeyCorp cut International Business Machines to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on International Business Machines from $320.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on International Business Machines from $293.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.40.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $236.17 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $247.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.43. The company has a market capitalization of $222.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G 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. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $199.19 and a 1 year high of $332.46.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $1.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 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

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.