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Welch Group LLC Sells 9,367 Shares of International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

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Key Points

  • Welch Group trimmed its IBM stake by 3.1%, selling 9,367 shares and leaving 291,893 shares valued at about $86.46 million, making IBM roughly 3.3% of its holdings and its fifth-largest position.
  • IBM beat Q4 estimates with $4.52 EPS (vs. $4.33 consensus) and $19.69 billion in revenue, and pays a quarterly dividend of $1.68 ($6.72 annualized, ~2.7% yield).
  • Analysts are generally positive (consensus target ~$303.88; Citi initiated a Buy), supported by new AI-focused cybersecurity and quantum partnerships, but a DOJ false-claims suit poses legal and reputational risk.
  • Five stocks we like better than International Business Machines.

Welch Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM - Free Report) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 291,893 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 9,367 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up about 3.3% of Welch Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Welch Group LLC's holdings in International Business Machines were worth $86,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at $852,000. Waverton Investment Management Ltd raised its stake 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 valued at $280,439,000 after acquiring an additional 32,072 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines by 30.0% in 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 buying an additional 3,029 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in International Business Machines by 51.7% in the third quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 114,395 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $32,278,000 after buying an additional 38,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American National Bank & Trust raised its stake in International Business Machines by 26.2% in the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 12,537 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,537,000 after buying an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock opened at $250.78 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $249.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $282.10. The firm has a market cap of $235.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 2.56 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.96.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.92 earnings per share. Analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.27%.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In related news, Director David N. Farr purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director owned 434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Key International Business Machines News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Citi starts coverage with a Buy and $285 target, citing IBM’s AI security launches and upside from new product momentum — a notable catalyst for price upside. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: IBM rolled out new AI-focused cybersecurity tools (branded Autonomous Security / multi-agent digital workers) aimed at detecting and responding to AI-powered attacks — this product push could drive enterprise spending and recurring revenue. Read More.
  • Positive Sentiment: Corporate partnerships and quantum/healthcare progress: IBM expanded its Discovery Accelerator with the University of Illinois to advance quantum-centric supercomputing, its quantum hardware underpinned Q4Bio finalists, and it announced collaborations (e.g., with GNQ Insilico) to deploy AI-driven precision medicine — these moves reinforce IBM’s long-term AI/quantum monetization thesis. Read More. Read More. Read More.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes ahead of Q1 earnings are mixed — several outlets highlight IBM’s history of beats and growth drivers (AI, Confluent acquisition) but warn that premium valuation and slightly falling EPS estimates are near-term headwinds; earnings next week remains the immediate catalyst. Read More.
  • Negative Sentiment: The DOJ filed a first-of-its-kind false-claims action against IBM alleging issues tied to diversity practices — this introduces legal, compliance and reputational risk that could pressure sentiment and create headline volatility until resolved. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on IBM. UBS Group upgraded International Business Machines from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $236.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Bank of America raised their price target on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Evercore raised their price target on International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut International Business Machines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $303.88.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on IBM

About International Business Machines

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM)

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.

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