Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases 9,388 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its IBM stake by 23.8% in Q4, buying 9,388 shares to hold 48,843 shares valued at about $14.47 million.
• IBM beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $4.52 (vs. $4.33 est.) and $19.69B revenue (up 12.2% YoY), and it pays a $1.68 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.72, ~2.7% yield).
• Analyst and insider activity is supportive—the stock has a "Moderate Buy" consensus target of $301.94 with several bullish upgrades (e.g., Wedbush $340), insiders and institutions have recently added shares, though a DOJ false-claims action poses a potential regulatory risk.

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,843 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 9,388 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $14,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the technology company's stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,507 shares of the technology company's stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. now owns 905 shares of the technology company's stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,878,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,069 shares of the technology company's stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:IBM opened at $253.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $237.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $249.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.91. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $220.72 and a 1 year high of $324.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.92 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

International Business Machines News Summary

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on International Business Machines from $361.00 to $330.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on International Business Machines from $340.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $215.00 target price on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $301.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 9,258 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Miebach acquired 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders purchased 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About International Business Machines

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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