KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 28.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 860,199 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 191,267 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $254,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in International Business Machines by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $708,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Foster Group Inc. raised its position in International Business Machines by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,507 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $742,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. lifted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. now owns 905 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,878,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,069 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and a $285 price target, a high?profile endorsement that frames meaningful upside vs. current levels and likely supported buying interest. Why Citi Analysts Are Betting IBM Stock Can Gain Nearly 20% From Here
• Positive Sentiment: IBM launched “Autonomous Security,” an AI agent?based cybersecurity offering aimed at automating threat detection and remediation — a product move that reinforces IBM’s enterprise AI/security narrative and can boost near?term commercial momentum. IBM Announces New Cybersecurity Measures to Help Enterprises Confront Agentic Attacks
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research outlets (Zacks, Yahoo Finance) flag IBM as having the right setup for another earnings beat — citing its recent revenue and EPS upside history — which raises expectations into next week’s report and supports a higher stock multiple. Will IBM (IBM) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships with ecosystem players (e.g., news of Arm alliances that include IBM) emphasize IBM’s place in enterprise AI infrastructure and could extend TAM for its hybrid cloud and AI hardware/software offerings. Arm Alliances With SK Telecom And IBM Put AI Valuation In Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market strength on macro headlines contributed to higher intraday prices across the tape, which likely helped lift IBM alongside peers. Equities Mostly Rise Intraday as Trump Reportedly Says War Likely ‘Very Close to Over’
• Neutral Sentiment: Some sell?side coverage remains mixed: certain firms keep Hold ratings (Morgan Stanley reiterated a Hold), suggesting limited re?rating upside absent a major beat or guide?up. That constrains potential rallies if earnings merely meet expectations. IBM: Near-Term Beat Potential but Limited Re-Rating Upside Supports Continued Hold
• Negative Sentiment: 13F fund disclosure shows Prospera Financial trimmed its IBM stake materially during the quarter, a reported reduction that can pressure shares if other funds follow similar rebalancing. Fund Update: Prospera Financial Services Inc Just Disclosed New Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: IBM agreed to pay $17M to settle DOJ allegations related to DEI?linked executive bonuses — a headline legal/regulatory expense that is modest financially but negative for governance headlines. IBM Pays $17 Million To Settle DOJ DEI Allegations: Executive Bonuses Tied To Demographic Targets

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $245.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $229.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $250.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.32. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1-year low of $220.72 and a 1-year high of $324.90.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a $1.68 dividend. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IBM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $215.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $380.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $307.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ? increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 1,484 shares of company stock valued at $417,157. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.