Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) by 34.3%, owning 37,842 shares valued at approximately $11,155,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• A series of hedge funds have recently adjusted their positions in IBM, with some purchasing new stakes, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.
• Wall Street analysts have generally upgraded IBM's stock ratings, with estimates for the company's earnings per share (EPS) expected to be around 10.78 for the current year, suggesting a positive outlook.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 34.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,842 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 9,666 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $11,155,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. SSA Swiss Advisors AG bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Dagco Inc. bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 322.6% during the first quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 131 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded International Business Machines to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $284.62.

International Business Machines Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $288.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $268.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.85, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $255.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.27. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $203.51 and a 52-week high of $296.16.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 37.62%. The firm had revenue of $16.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. International Business Machines has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $1.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. International Business Machines's payout ratio is presently 109.09%.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.

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