MUFG Securities EMEA plc Boosts Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc more than doubled its IBM stake in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 114.9% to 38,320 shares worth about $11.35 million.
• IBM continues to draw positive attention from investors and analysts, with several firms maintaining Buy or Outperform views and a consensus price target of $294.41.
• The company posted strong recent results, beating expectations on earnings and revenue, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $1.69 per share.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 114.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,320 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,490 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $11,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of IBM. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1,666.7% in the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 106 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM unveiled a more than $10 billion quantum computing investment plan, reinforcing its leadership in an emerging high-growth market. IBM to invest $10 billion for large-scale quantum computer by 2029
• Positive Sentiment: IBM and Red Hat launched Project Lightwell, a $5 billion push to secure open-source software with AI tools and 20,000 engineers, which could strengthen its enterprise security franchise. IBM and Red Hat Commit $5 Billion to Redefine the Future of Open Source in the AI Era
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated an Outperform rating and raised its target to $320, signaling continued analyst confidence in IBM’s upside. IBM Is Chasing A '$1 Trillion Value Creation Engine' — And It's Spending $15 Billion To Get There

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on International Business Machines from $370.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on International Business Machines from $380.00 to $320.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup initiated coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $285.00 target price for the company. HSBC raised International Business Machines from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $218.00 to $231.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered International Business Machines from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $294.41.

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $298.26 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $240.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $280.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.66. 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 52 week low of $212.34 and a 52 week high of $324.90.

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

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.69 per share. This is a boost from International Business Machines's previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.77%.

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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