Milestone Asset Management LLC Increases Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Milestone Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 36.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,240 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,029 shares during the period. Milestone Asset Management LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $3,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Portus Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, SWAN Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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 note on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on International Business Machines from $293.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on International Business Machines from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on International Business Machines from $288.00 to $262.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.40.

International Business Machines Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of IBM stock opened at $234.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $221.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $251.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.20. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $199.19 and a twelve month high of $332.46.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.93. The company had revenue of $17.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.46 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.52% and a return on equity of 35.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.98%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s strategic partnership with OpenAI will embed OpenAI models and tools, including GPT-5.6, into IBM Consulting’s enterprise AI platform. IBM also plans to establish a dedicated OpenAI Practice and train thousands of consultants and engineers, potentially strengthening its position in regulated industries such as finance, government, telecommunications and retail. IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push
• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s $240 million, multi-year agreement with Together AI will build an NVIDIA-powered AI inference cluster on IBM Cloud. Strong anticipated demand could support growth in IBM’s cloud infrastructure and high-performance AI workloads. Can IBM’s Together AI Cloud Deal Boost Its Growth Prospects?
• Positive Sentiment: IBM-reported research indicates that 85% of organizations planned to increase security spending by May, up from 64% during the prior period, as companies respond to frontier-AI cyber threats. This could benefit IBM’s cybersecurity, consulting and AI automation businesses. Frontier AI Threats Drive Companies to Boost Security Budgets
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage characterizes IBM as a relatively attractive technology investment because of its steadier earnings outlook, valuation and dividend, while other commentary highlights longer-term opportunities in quantum computing. These factors may provide support but are unlikely to resolve near-term growth concerns. AST SpaceMobile vs. IBM: Which Tech Stock is the Better Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: IBM’s shares have declined even after the OpenAI announcement, suggesting investors want evidence that the alliance can accelerate sales and profits. The partnership’s costs, implementation timeline and ability to convert consulting demand into recurring revenue remain key uncertainties. IBM Stock Drops Despite Major OpenAI Partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announced an investigation into potential securities fraud following IBM’s significant stock decline. The announcement is primarily an attorney solicitation and does not establish wrongdoing, but it adds headline and litigation risk. IBM securities fraud investigation reminder

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.