AE Wealth Management LLC Increases Stake in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• AE Wealth Management raised its stake in International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) by 2.8% in Q4 to 111,615 shares, valued at about $33.06 million, while institutional investors collectively own roughly 58.96% of the company.
• Insiders increased their holdings: Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares at $233.33 and Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares at $304, with insiders purchasing 1,484 shares totaling $417,157 and now owning about 0.27% of IBM.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of a Moderate Buy and an average price target of $303.88; IBM also beat Q4 EPS expectations ($4.52 vs. $4.33), reported 12.2% revenue growth, and is rolling out AI‑era cybersecurity offerings and expanding quantum partnerships.

AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 111,615 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,026 shares during the quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $33,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Family CFO Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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. Finally, American Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at $101,265.22. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,814,432. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. DZ Bank raised shares of International Business Machines to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $303.88.

Key International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM rolled out new AI‑era cybersecurity offerings (Autonomous Security and other tools) aimed at countering agentic/AI-powered attacks — a timely product launch that can drive near‑term sales and investor excitement. IBM Announces New Cybersecurity Measures
• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and a $285 target (reported by Blockonomi), highlighting upside tied to IBM’s AI/security roadmap — this fresh bullish analyst stance likely lifted investor appetite. International Business Machines (IBM) Stock Receives Citi Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded R&D collaborations — IBM is enlarging its Discovery Accelerator with the University of Illinois for AI + quantum work and promoted quantum use in healthcare (Q4Bio prize/co‑research) — these partnerships underpin longer‑term leadership in enterprise AI/quantum. IBM and the University of Illinois Expand Discovery Accelerator
• Positive Sentiment: IBM Quantum activity — the firm and partners won Q4Bio recognition for quantum algorithms in healthcare, reinforcing commercial/academic momentum that supports long‑term growth narratives. How IBM Quantum is Enabling Healthcare and Biology Research
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and client engagements — IBM announced collaborations (e.g., with GNQ Insilico) to accelerate clinical AI adoption and earlier press noted Arm alliance work on enterprise AI hardware, both supportive of enterprise AI revenue growth. GNQ Insilico Plans to Accelerate Precision Medicine
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is mixed — some outlets and analyst pieces frame IBM as well‑positioned to beat near‑term EPS while others caution valuation is already elevated; these narratives can produce volatility into earnings. Analysts Conflicted on These Technology Names
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and estimate risk — analyst notes (Zacks and others) warn of a premium valuation and some downward EPS revisions despite product momentum; with Q1 earnings due, elevated expectations could lead to profit‑taking if results or guidance disappoint. IBM Stock Before Q1 Earnings

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $250.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $235.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $220.72 and a twelve month high of $324.90. The company's 50-day moving average price is $249.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $282.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

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

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.

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