Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 3,868 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in IBM by 22.3% in Q4, buying 3,868 shares to hold 21,192 shares worth about $6.28 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and $285 target and MarketBeat shows a "Moderate Buy" consensus (avg. target ~$309.63), but the stock has seen downgrades, underperformance and faces a near‑term headwind from a DOJ $17 million settlement over hiring practices.
• IBM posted a quarterly beat (EPS $4.52 vs. $4.33 estimate; revenue $19.69B, +12.2% Y/Y), insiders made recent purchases, and the company pays a $1.68 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.72, ~2.9% yield).

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,192 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,868 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $6,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its position in International Business Machines by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,045,156 shares of the technology company's stock worth $4,809,461,000 after buying an additional 2,077,506 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,052,880 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $861,401,000 after acquiring an additional 865,253 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 64.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,162,741 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $610,239,000 after acquiring an additional 849,500 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,777,516 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,382,695,000 after acquiring an additional 725,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,776,307 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $27,024,243,000 after acquiring an additional 724,832 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company's stock.

International Business Machines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and a $285 price target, arguing IBM has meaningful AI growth potential plus upside from its mainframe and quantum businesses — the call highlights a ~23% upside vs. current levels. Citi Analyst Upgrades IBM (IBM) Stock with $285 Target on AI Growth Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets and analysts echoed a bullish view (Barron's, TipRanks/MSN coverage), noting IBM’s ability to navigate technology cycles and the potential for earnings leverage from AI and enterprise offerings — these narratives support longer-term upside despite 2026 weakness. IBM Stock Is Having Its Worst Year Since 2002. Here's Why It Just Got a Buy Rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM is participating in industry moves around AI patent sharing (the SAIL initiative), which could reshape competitive dynamics and reduce friction for model development — a longer‑term strategic development that may affect moat but has uncertain near-term revenue impact. IBM’s SAIL Move Reframes AI Patent Sharing And Long Term Moat
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on quantum computing ETFs and IBM’s expanded quantum roadmap highlights a structural growth story; this is positive for long-term optionality but remains developmental and unlikely to drive near-term earnings. The Quantum Computing ETF That Could Be Bigger Than AI, and 2 Tech Funds Riding the Same Wave
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Justice said IBM will pay $17 million to settle allegations related to discriminatory DEI hiring practices — a reputational and regulatory event that adds near‑term legal cost and scrutiny (though the monetary amount is small relative to revenue). IBM to pay $17 million to settle discrimination allegations, DOJ says
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term technical and sentiment pressure: the stock has underperformed peers recently and faced at least one analyst downgrade and intraday selling, which compounds downside momentum despite bullish reports. International Business Machines NYSE: IBM Trading Down 1.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Friday. They set a "buy" rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $304.00 to $247.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $309.63.

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

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

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $230.68 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $254.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.02. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $220.72 and a twelve month high of $324.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines's dividend 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.

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