Patton Fund Management Inc. Has $7.43 Million Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Patton Fund Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 2,548.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,079 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,132 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $7,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in IBM. Cove Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $166,000. CJM Wealth Advisers Ltd. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. CJM Wealth Advisers Ltd. now owns 11,592 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,434,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. BCR Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $318,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,814,432. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach acquired 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the acquisition, the director owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IBM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on International Business Machines from $304.00 to $247.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Erste Group Bank downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised International Business Machines from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $309.63.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and commentary expect IBM to report an in?line Q1 with roughly $50M of revenue from the early close of the Confluent acquisition; management is seen keeping full?year guidance intact by offsetting near?term dilution with revenue and cost synergies. IBM set for in-line Q1 as Confluent deal boosts outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Product/technology update: IBM is rolling out “content?aware storage” (CAS) aimed at solving AI data management problems — a strategic product that supports IBM’s hybrid cloud/AI revenue narrative and could improve long?term margins if adopted. How IBM Is Solving One of AI’s Biggest Data Problems
• Neutral Sentiment: Research coverage initiation: Citigroup started coverage on IBM — a change in sell?side attention that can increase trading interest but is neutral until it issues actionable ratings/targets. Research Coverage Started at Citigroup
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/partnership PR: IBM used AI to enhance the Masters fan experience (positive for branding and demonstrates AI use cases) — good for perception but limited immediate revenue impact. IBM Rewrites the Masters Fan Experience With AI
• Negative Sentiment: Legal headline: IBM agreed to pay $17M to settle a DOJ suit alleging unlawful DEI practices and improper use/reimbursement of government contract funds. The payment is modest vs. IBM’s size, but the headline creates regulatory and reputational risk that can weigh on sentiment. IBM pays $17M fine to end DOJ suit over DEI programs
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: Needham trimmed price targets ahead of earnings, citing macro pressures despite steady growth/margins — analyst downgrades or cuts can amplify near?term downside even if fundamentals remain intact. Why Needham Analysts Slashed Their Price Targets on IBM Stock Ahead of Earnings

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $237.83 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $282.89. The company has a market cap of $223.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $220.72 and a 52-week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.92 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

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.