International Business Machines Corporation $IBM Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 6.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,171 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,417 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $15,514,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $291.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. HSBC set a $175.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines and gave the company a “reduce” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.40.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Maximo gains credibility with enterprise customers. New Verdantix research commissioned by Cohesive found that IBM Maximo users demonstrate higher maintenance maturity than industry peers, supporting demand for IBM’s asset-management and industrial software offerings. New Verdantix Research Finds IBM Maximo Users Demonstrate Higher Maintenance Maturity Than Industry Peers
• Positive Sentiment: Government and distribution expansion broaden IBM’s software opportunity. Maximo Government SaaS received FedRAMP Moderate authorization, potentially making it easier for U.S. agencies to adopt the platform. Separately, Arrow Electronics expanded its IBM distribution agreement to seven additional European countries. IBM Secures FedRAMP Moderate Authorization For Maximo Government SaaS Arrow Electronics adds seven countries to distribution coverage with IBM
• Positive Sentiment: AI remains a potential growth driver. Coverage highlights IBM’s positioning in the enterprise AI race, while industry research forecasts rapid expansion in agentic AI spending. IBM’s software and consulting exposure could benefit if companies increase spending on AI automation and workflow tools. IBM Makes Surprise Move in Nvidia AI Race
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor positioning is mixed. Quiver data showed more institutions added IBM shares than reduced positions in the latest quarter, and two company insiders made purchases. Analysts’ reported median price target of $310 is well above the recent trading range, although these signals are not guarantees of future performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Mainframe weakness is weighing on sentiment. Recent analysis points to a poor IBM Z/mainframe quarter, with investors concerned that product-cycle headwinds could offset software gains. The company’s latest reported revenue also came in below consensus despite earnings meeting expectations. IBM: Big Blue Sees Red Hat; Mainframe Headwinds, Software Tailwinds
• Negative Sentiment: A securities-fraud investigation adds risk. Bleichmar Fonti & Auld announced an investigation related to the IBM Z slowdown and the stock’s prior decline. The announcement is an allegation and does not establish wrongdoing, but it adds uncertainty and may pressure the shares. IBM Securities Fraud Investigation Initiated After IBM Z Product Slowdown and 25% Stock Drop

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of International Business Machines stock opened at $232.74 on Wednesday. International Business Machines Corporation has a twelve month low of $199.19 and a twelve month high of $332.46. The stock has a market cap of $219.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $249.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $252.00.

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

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $1.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.