Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group increased its IBM stake by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 236,264 shares valued at about $69.98 million.
• IBM is drawing more bullish attention from Wall Street, with firms like Barclays and Wedbush highlighting upside potential and setting price targets as high as $350.
• The company continues to lean into growth areas such as AI, cloud, and quantum computing, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $1.69 per share.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 236,264 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $69,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Family CFO Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to scale enterprise AI adoption, launching a new Google Cloud practice that combines IBM Consulting, Gemini Enterprise tools, and IBM’s industry expertise. The move suggests a larger pipeline for AI consulting and cloud services. Article: IBM and Google Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale AI with Human Expertise and AI‑Powered Delivery
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are turning more constructive, with Barclays initiating IBM at overweight and a $350 price target, which reinforced the view that the recent rally may still have room to run. Article: Barclays sets eye-catching IBM stock price target
• Positive Sentiment: IBM continues to build its quantum-computing narrative, with multiple reports highlighting its large-scale investment and bullish commentary from Citi and IBM management. Investors may view this as a long-term growth catalyst beyond traditional consulting and hardware. Article: IBM CEO sends strong message on quantum computing
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM also expanded its AI education and talent pipeline by launching the AI Builders Challenge for 20,000 post-secondary institutions, which supports future adoption but is less likely to move the stock immediately. Article: IBM Launches Global AI Builders Challenge With IBM Bob for University Students
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM and three.ws announced a partnership around AI-powered 3D workspaces, adding another enterprise AI use case, though the financial impact is still early-stage. Article: three.ws and IBM Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance AI-Powered 3D Agent Technology
• Negative Sentiment: A whistleblower report alleging IBM helped cover up foreign hacks is a headline risk, especially because the breach reportedly involved IBM cloud infrastructure used by parts of the U.S. government and military. That could raise concerns about security, reputation, and future government-related business. Article: IBM, AT&T accused by whistleblower of covering up foreign hacks

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $301.93 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $245.61 and a 200 day moving average of $270.84. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $212.34 and a 52-week high of $332.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The business had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This is a positive change from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on IBM. DZ Bank raised International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group raised International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC raised International Business Machines from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $231.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wedbush set a $350.00 price objective on International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $304.17.

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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