Bank of Nova Scotia Cuts Stock Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Bank of Nova Scotia decreased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 29.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 205,694 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 84,691 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $49,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IBM. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 424.6% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 260,740 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $77,234,000 after acquiring an additional 211,040 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 24.8% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 64,458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,624,000 after acquiring an additional 12,791 shares during the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA increased its stake in International Business Machines by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 18,288 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,930 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in International Business Machines by 30.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,122 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,887,000 after acquiring an additional 3,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rice Partnership LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $3,317,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus dropped their target price on International Business Machines from $360.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $270.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird began coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered International Business Machines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.40.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish interest, with traders buying 108,601 call options on IBM, about 35% above normal call volume. This suggests some investors are betting on a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup lowered its price target to $245 from $255 but kept a Buy rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels and signaling that some analysts still see value in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM announced a dividend of $1.69 per share, reinforcing its appeal to income-focused investors at a time when the stock has been under pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary has turned split: some analysts and strategists view the post-earnings decline as a potential long-term opportunity, while others say IBM may be stuck in a holding pattern until growth reaccelerates. IBM: The Historic Stock Rout Is A Generational Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM is still getting support from its long-term quantum computing strategy, including the announced acquisition of HRL Laboratories, which expands its quantum R&D capabilities. That could help sentiment, but the benefit is longer term rather than immediate.
• Negative Sentiment: The main reason the stock fell sharply is IBM’s Q2 report and lowered 2026 outlook: revenue missed expectations, mainframe sales weakened, and management cut full-year constant-currency revenue growth guidance after customers shifted spending toward AI infrastructure.
• Negative Sentiment: Shortly after the earnings slump, law firms announced securities-fraud investigations tied to IBM’s disclosures about the mainframe slowdown, adding legal overhang and uncertainty for shareholders.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM opened at $214.16 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The company has a market capitalization of $201.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.68. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $199.19 and a 52-week high of $332.46.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 35.65% and a net margin of 15.52%.The company had revenue of $17.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $1.69 per share. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 59.98%.

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.