Advocate Group LLC Lowers Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Advocate Group LLC lowered its stake in IBM by 13%, selling 5,843 shares to finish the quarter with 38,994 shares worth $11.55 million, about 1.9% of its portfolio and its 8th largest holding.
• IBM beat quarterly expectations, reporting $4.52 EPS versus $4.33 expected and $19.69 billion in revenue versus $19.23 billion, with revenue up 12.2% year‑over‑year and analysts forecasting roughly 10.78 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Management is advancing AI and quantum initiatives through a partnership with Arm and a 10‑year R&D deal with ETH Zurich (and progress on >1,000‑qubit processors), while insiders have been buying shares (e.g., director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares at $304).

Advocate Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,994 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 5,843 shares during the period. International Business Machines accounts for approximately 1.9% of Advocate Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Advocate Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $11,551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 126 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. American Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $247.86 on Friday. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12-month low of $214.50 and a 12-month high of $324.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market cap of $232.50 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $260.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $284.04.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. International Business Machines's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a $1.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $314.60.

Key International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM announced a strategic collaboration with Arm to develop dual‑architecture AI/data-center hardware, a move investors see as expanding IBM’s addressable market for enterprise AI infrastructure and improving competitive positioning. IBM Shares Rise 2% After Announcing Strategic Partnership With Arm
• Positive Sentiment: IBM struck a long-term R&D deal with ETH Zurich (10 years) to combine AI and quantum algorithm development — strengthens IBM’s pipeline in quantum-enabled AI capabilities that could drive premium services and long-term differentiation. IBM Partners with ETH Zurich on 10-Year AI and Quantum Computing Initiative
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting IBM’s progress in quantum (processors >1,000 qubits) reinforces the narrative that IBM is a leader in nascent, high-value technologies investors are watching for multi-year growth. My Top Quantum ETFs For The Next Trend That's Bigger Than AI
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM continues customer/brand initiatives — a new campus Cyber Defense Range with Full Sail University and an experiential “Masters at Madison Square Park” event — improving visibility but with limited near-term revenue impact. Full Sail University to Open IBM Cyber Defense Range Powered by AWS and Cloud Range on Campus
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-party product/partner news (e.g., CrowdStrike integrations) signal ecosystem traction but are incremental to IBM’s direct revenue growth story. CrowdStrike Partnerships And AI Products Deepen Falcon Platform Consolidation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Despite positive strategic headlines, analysts and articles are flagging recent share-price weakness and mixed valuation metrics (YTD underperformance vs. multi-year gains), which can prompt profit-taking and damp near-term upside. Is It Time To Reassess IBM (IBM) After Recent Share Price Weakness?

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,814,432. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,265.22. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Company 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.

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