Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,453 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 5,622 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $32,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,021,912 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,523,720,000 after acquiring an additional 4,976,756 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in International Business Machines by 83.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,617,117 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,663,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,553,552 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 359.6% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,896,675 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $561,814,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,216,131 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,796,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,439,824 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on International Business Machines from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Oppenheimer downgraded International Business Machines from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. 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, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.40.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $215.93 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $262.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.65. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $199.19 and a 1 year high of $332.46. The company has a market cap of $202.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93. The business had revenue of $17.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.46 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 35.65% and a net margin of 15.52%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $1.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 59.98%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s blockchain intellectual property attracted a strategic buyer. Circle is acquiring more than 680 patent families, representing nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide, covering blockchain, banking, insurance, enterprise infrastructure and supply-chain applications. The transaction validates IBM’s technology portfolio and could provide proceeds while allowing Circle to expand its USDC stablecoin and payments businesses. Financial terms were not disclosed. USDC issuer Circle to acquire nearly 1,000 IBM blockchain patents
• Neutral Sentiment: The patent deal appears strategically positive but has limited immediate financial visibility. Coverage highlights IBM’s role in blockchain infrastructure and Circle’s view that the acquisition creates a leading U.S. blockchain patent position. However, IBM did not disclose the purchase price, so investors cannot yet assess the transaction’s near-term earnings or cash-flow impact. Circle Buys IBM’s Blockchain Patents to Boost Payments Network
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and operating concerns continue to weigh on IBM’s investment case. Bleichmar Fonti & Auld announced an investigation into potential securities-fraud claims following IBM’s recent stock decline and disclosures involving a deal shortfall and slower product momentum. The investigation is an allegation, not a finding of wrongdoing, but it adds headline and litigation risk. IBM Investigation: BFA Law Reviews Potential Securities Fraud Claims
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary remains a key overhang. IBM’s latest quarter matched adjusted EPS expectations but revenue came in below consensus, while management acknowledged execution problems and a slowdown in products. Reports also point to customers directing more AI budgets toward hardware, raising questions about IBM’s ability to capture growth from enterprise AI spending. IBM Survived One AI Scare in February. This One Might Be Different.

International Business Machines Company 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.