International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Purchased by Smith Salley Wealth Management

Key Points

• Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its stake in IBM by 58.8% in Q4, buying an additional 8,305 shares to hold 22,427 shares valued at about $6.643 million.
• IBM beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $4.52 (vs. $4.33 est.) and revenue of $19.69 billion (up 12.2% year-over-year), while analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $301.94 average target.
• Insiders bought shares recently (1,484 shares worth ~$417k over 90 days, including director purchases), and institutional investors own about 58.96% of the stock, signaling notable institutional and insider activity.

Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 58.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,427 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 8,305 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter valued at about $852,000. Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of International Business Machines by 3.3% in the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 993,743 shares of the technology company's stock worth $280,439,000 after acquiring an additional 32,072 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 30.0% during the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,122 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,887,000 after acquiring an additional 3,029 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 114,395 shares of the technology company's stock worth $32,278,000 after purchasing an additional 38,973 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust grew its position in International Business Machines by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 12,537 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,537,000 after purchasing an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore increased their target price on International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on International Business Machines from $361.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on International Business Machines from $350.00 to $290.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $301.94.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and raised its $340 price target, signaling strong analyst conviction that IBM's AI/hybrid-cloud strategy can drive upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush/Dan Ives and other analysts are bullish on enterprise AI adoption — Ives specifically sees ~35% upside as customers move from AI pilots to large-scale deployments, supporting near-term revenue/earnings growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts broadly expect IBM to beat Q1 estimates; consensus previews highlight AI, hybrid cloud, automation and cybersecurity strength as the drivers to watch in the April 22 report. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM expanded the Illinois Discovery Accelerator with U. of Illinois to develop quantum-centric supercomputing (AI + quantum + HPC), reinforcing IBM’s positioning in next-gen computing that could open new enterprise contracts. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Real-world quantum/AI deployments in healthcare (Q4Bio finalists, partnerships like GNQ Insilico) showcase early commercial traction for IBM Quantum and healthcare-focused AI services — potential long-term revenue lift if deployments scale. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM rolled out new cybersecurity tools aimed at AI-powered attacks, addressing a fast-growing enterprise need and reinforcing cross-selling opportunities into existing clients. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other previews note IBM's strategic moves (Confluent acquisition, AI partnerships) but warn premium valuation and slipping EPS estimates are headwinds to consider — mixed implications for risk/return. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand commentary (e.g., PYMNTS piece on legacy purchasing behavior) is informational about buyer psychology rather than an immediate stock catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The DOJ brought a novel false-claims action tied to diversity practices — an emerging legal/regulatory risk that could create reputational and financial uncertainty if it escalates. Read More.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In related news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased 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 trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David N. Farr purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $253.50 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $237.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $220.72 and a 1 year high of $324.90. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $249.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.88.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines's payout ratio is 60.27%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.