Bouvel Investment Partners LLC Takes $6.88 Million Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Bouvel Investment Partners LLC opened a new position in IBM, acquiring 23,239 shares valued at about $6.88 million, roughly 2.0% of its portfolio and the firm's 13th largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but overall positive — MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $309.63 average price target after recent target changes ranging roughly $236–$335 and several upgrades and downgrades.
• IBM beat quarterly expectations (EPS $4.52 vs $4.33; revenue $19.69B, +12.2% YoY) and yields 2.9% on an annual $6.72 dividend, yet it faces a new regulatory/legal headwind from a $17 million DOJ settlement over discriminatory hiring practices.

Bouvel Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 23,239 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $6,884,000. International Business Machines makes up about 2.0% of Bouvel Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 21,011 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,619,000 after purchasing an additional 2,323 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.4% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 301,588 shares of the technology company's stock worth $88,898,000 after buying an additional 4,072 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 25.8% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 616,139 shares of the technology company's stock worth $181,625,000 after buying an additional 126,333 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $340.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $309.63.

Key International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and a $285 price target, arguing IBM has meaningful AI growth potential plus upside from its mainframe and quantum businesses — the call highlights a ~23% upside vs. current levels. Citi Analyst Upgrades IBM (IBM) Stock with $285 Target on AI Growth Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets and analysts echoed a bullish view (Barron's, TipRanks/MSN coverage), noting IBM’s ability to navigate technology cycles and the potential for earnings leverage from AI and enterprise offerings — these narratives support longer-term upside despite 2026 weakness. IBM Stock Is Having Its Worst Year Since 2002. Here's Why It Just Got a Buy Rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM is participating in industry moves around AI patent sharing (the SAIL initiative), which could reshape competitive dynamics and reduce friction for model development — a longer‑term strategic development that may affect moat but has uncertain near-term revenue impact. IBM’s SAIL Move Reframes AI Patent Sharing And Long Term Moat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on quantum computing ETFs and IBM’s expanded quantum roadmap highlights a structural growth story; this is positive for long-term optionality but remains developmental and unlikely to drive near-term earnings. The Quantum Computing ETF That Could Be Bigger Than AI, and 2 Tech Funds Riding the Same Wave
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Justice said IBM will pay $17 million to settle allegations related to discriminatory DEI hiring practices — a reputational and regulatory event that adds near‑term legal cost and scrutiny (though the monetary amount is small relative to revenue). IBM to pay $17 million to settle discrimination allegations, DOJ says
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term technical and sentiment pressure: the stock has underperformed peers recently and faced at least one analyst downgrade and intraday selling, which compounds downside momentum despite bullish reports. International Business Machines NYSE: IBM Trading Down 1.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $230.68 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $220.72 and a 52-week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.33 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The firm's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict 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 given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is 60.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157 over the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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