Capital Wealth Planning LLC Has $719.39 Million Stake in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,444,051 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 266,490 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up approximately 4.7% of Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $719,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Entelevest LLC bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $405,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 9,872 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 12,535 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,747,000 after purchasing an additional 3,703 shares during the period. M Holdings Securities Inc. grew its holdings in International Business Machines by 72.7% in the fourth quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. now owns 21,503 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,369,000 after purchasing an additional 9,050 shares during the period. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $52,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Business Machines Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE IBM opened at $272.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $256.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $248.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $270.49. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $212.34 and a 1 year high of $332.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.60 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 37.23%. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 59.77%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly favored IBM over Xanadu Quantum, saying investors should “buy IBM” if they want exposure to the quantum theme, which can reinforce confidence in IBM as a more credible and profitable long-term AI/quantum name. Jim Cramer Recommends IBM Over Xanadu Quantum
• Positive Sentiment: IBM announced an expanded global collaboration with JA Worldwide to deliver AI and digital-skills education to up to one million high-school students, highlighting IBM’s efforts to build ecosystem adoption and strengthen its brand in AI. JA Worldwide and IBM Expand Global Collaboration with Goal of Delivering AI and Digital Skills to Up to One Million High-School Students
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed IBM as a strong long-term beneficiary of the quantum-computing boom, including coverage that described IBM as a “safer play” alongside Alphabet in the sector and another piece calling IBM a long-term buy tied to its recurring-revenue software and infrastructure engine. Quantum Computing Looks Like Nvidia in 2019. This Could Be the Generational Buy of the Decade.
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM CEO Arvind Krishna’s recent comments on quantum advantage, AI usage, and the company’s profit strategy keep IBM in the AI/quantum conversation, but the remarks were more strategic than immediately financial. IBM CEO Krishna on Quantum Advantage, Profit Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst-style article argued that Celestica may be a better AI infrastructure buy than IBM due to faster growth and a cheaper valuation, which is a reminder that IBM still faces competition for investor capital in AI hardware/infrastructure. Celestica vs. IBM: Which AI Infrastructure Stock is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent 247WallSt commentary said IBM has already rallied enough that some investors may prefer to wait for a pullback, and it also noted the stock is not cheap after IBM’s large quantum investment announcement. IBM Just Placed a $10 Billion Bet to Become the Nvidia of Quantum Computing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wedbush set a $350.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $370.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $231.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $304.17.

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.