Prudential PLC Increases Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Prudential PLC raised its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,420 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,446 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $33,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,011,122,000. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,045,156 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,809,461,000 after buying an additional 2,077,506 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,051,475 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,019,274,000 after buying an additional 1,913,708 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 27,928.2% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,903,116 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $561,001,000 after buying an additional 1,896,326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in International Business Machines by 39.6% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,052,880 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $861,401,000 after buying an additional 865,253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the transaction, the director owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at $2,814,432. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157 over the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM published a practical “quantum‑centric supercomputing” reference architecture that maps how quantum processors can be integrated with CPUs and GPUs — a clear strategic push to own early enterprise quantum and attract research/cloud customers. IBM Releases a New Blueprint for Quantum-Centric Supercomputing
• Positive Sentiment: IBM announced a partnership with Taiwan’s E.SUN Bank to deliver an enterprise AI governance framework — a commercial proof point that could help drive services and consulting revenue in regulated industries. IBM Teams Up With E.SUN Bank on AI Governance
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to call IBM a top large-cap tech name alongside peers, which supports medium-term investor interest despite recent weakness. Analysts Are Bullish on Top Technology Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights IBM’s “dual‑pronged” strategy (AI/hybrid cloud + quantum) to redefine enterprise computing — reinforces the company’s long-term narrative even as adoption timelines remain gradual. IBM’s Dual-Pronged Strategy to Redefine Computing Power
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM’s CFO gave interviews outlining priorities around AI, hybrid cloud and quantum — useful for strategic context but not new guidance. The Motley Fool Interviews IBM CFO Jim Kavanaugh
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry roundups and tech press reiterate IBM’s quantum roadmap and positioning; positive for brand/technology leadership but benefits are multi‑year. IBM Introduces Blueprint to Combine Quantum Computers with Traditional Supercomputers
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/near‑term threat: Anthropic’s Claude Code announcement (automation for COBOL modernization) has sparked concerns that third‑party AI tools could displace some IBM mainframe/modernization services, and analysts/media point to that as a contributor to the year‑to‑date decline. IBM Has Fallen 16% as Anthropic Puts Them In The Bullseye
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: IBM shares slipped around the quantum blueprint release and have been under pressure from technicals (current price below 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages) and lower trading volume, prompting short‑term selling. What’s going on with IBM stock on Thursday?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on IBM shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $304.00 to $247.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.87.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $246.37 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $276.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.27. The stock has a market cap of $231.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.73. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $214.50 and a twelve month high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

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.