Candriam S.C.A. Increases Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Candriam S.C.A. increased its position in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 24.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 95,331 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,524 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $23,107,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Conning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 34.9% in the first quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 144,138 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,938,000 after purchasing an additional 37,286 shares during the period. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 2.2% in the first quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $753,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. AlpenGlobal Capital LLC purchased a new stake in International Business Machines in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,061,000. KLCM Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in International Business Machines by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 5,065 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Paladin Advisory Group LLC raised its position in International Business Machines by 237.4% during the 1st quarter. Paladin Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC raised shares of International Business Machines from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $218.00 to $231.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna began coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $303.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $306.28.

International Business Machines Price Performance

IBM stock traded down $7.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $287.85. 3,633,419 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,627,529. The company has a market cap of $270.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.68. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12-month low of $212.34 and a 12-month high of $332.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $263.77 and its 200 day moving average is $266.17. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. International Business Machines’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.45 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $1.69 dividend. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This is a positive change from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 59.77%.

International Business Machines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM continues to get credit for growth in quantum computing and AI, including new enterprise software tools and multi-agent capabilities that could support future revenue. IBM Advances Enterprise AI Software Development with Multi-Agent Capabilities and Specialized Modernization Workflows
• Positive Sentiment: The stock still has implied upside to Susquehanna’s target, suggesting analysts see value if IBM can convert its AI and quantum strengths into stronger earnings growth. Susquehanna coverage note
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM’s latest product updates for its Bob platform and other AI tools reinforce its enterprise strategy, but these launches are not yet enough to change the near-term investment view. IBM Upgrades Bob With Multi-Agent AI
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks’ move to build internal AI tools to replace Microsoft and IBM software highlights a potential risk to IBM’s enterprise software revenue if other large customers follow suit. There Are So Many Reasons to Like IBM Right Now—Just Not Enough to Buy the Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious heading into IBM’s upcoming Q2 earnings, with concerns that AI could pressure parts of the consulting and mainframe business even as newer growth areas expand. Susquehanna Praises IBM’s Quantum and AI Growth but Rates the Stock a Hold – Here’s Why

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.