International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Purchased by Faithward Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Faithward Advisors LLC increased its IBM stake by 47.4% in the first quarter, buying 7,699 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 23,946 shares worth about $5.8 million.
• IBM continues to attract interest from major institutional investors and Wall Street analysts, with firms like JPMorgan and Barclays issuing bullish views and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus price target of $306.94.
• The company’s latest results topped expectations, as IBM reported $1.91 EPS on $15.92 billion in revenue, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $1.69 per share for a 2.6% yield.

Faithward Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 47.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,946 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,699 shares during the quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $5,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,021,912 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $6,523,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,976,756 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 83.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,617,117 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,663,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,553,552 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 359.6% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,896,675 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $561,814,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,216,131 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,796,390,000 after buying an additional 1,439,824 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on IBM shares. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays began coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. HSBC raised International Business Machines from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $218.00 to $231.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded International Business Machines to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $306.94.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $264.66 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $252.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $267.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12-month low of $212.34 and a 12-month high of $332.46. The company has a market cap of $248.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.60 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.International Business Machines's revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.60 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $1.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded IBM to Overweight from Neutral and raised its price target to $291 from $270, citing stronger confidence in IBM’s software acceleration and AI-related growth. IBM stock jumps after JPMorgan upgrade on AI and software growth
• Positive Sentiment: IBM has gained momentum from renewed enthusiasm around quantum computing after President Trump publicly praised IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and signed executive orders aimed at accelerating U.S. quantum development. IBM shares pop following Trump’s praise at White House quantum summit
• Positive Sentiment: IBM and OpenAI announced a partnership to bring frontier AI into enterprise cyber defense, which could expand IBM’s AI offerings and support future revenue growth. IBM partners with OpenAI on enterprise security AI
• Positive Sentiment: IBM won a five-year contract from the U.K. Department of Health, adding another government-backed business win to its recurring services pipeline. IBM Wins 5-Year Contract from U.K. Department of Health - Analyst Blog
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM also extended its syndicated credit facilities, which improves liquidity and financial flexibility but is not a direct earnings driver. IBM Extends Syndicated Credit Facilities, Enhancing Liquidity

International Business Machines 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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