Polar Capital Holdings Plc Grows Position in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Polar Capital Holdings Plc raised its stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 402,108 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,835 shares during the quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $119,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IBM. Family CFO Inc acquired a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, SWAN Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $290.00 to $270.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $370.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.17.

International Business Machines Price Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $270.66 on Wednesday. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $212.34 and a 1 year high of $332.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $250.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $269.61. The company has a market cap of $254.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.67.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 37.23%. The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.60 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $1.69 dividend. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 59.77%.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM and Cirata announced an OEM partnership for the next generation of Big Replicate, aimed at removing petabyte-scale AI data bottlenecks and improving governance for large enterprise AI workflows. IBM Launches Big Replicate With Cirata To Tackle AI Data Bottlenecks
• Positive Sentiment: Apptio, which IBM owns, unveiled new AI-powered capabilities to help customers turn technology spending into measurable business outcomes, reinforcing IBM’s AI and hybrid-cloud monetization story. Apptio Unveils Conversational Insights and New Suite of AI-Powered Capabilities
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentary pieces and rating upgrades argue IBM has room for multiple expansion, with one article saying the stock could be materially below fair value as the AI narrative builds. IBM Stock Could Be 22.4% Below Fair Value as AI Narrative Builds
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts cited IBM’s recent selloff as a potential buying opportunity, with commentary noting the shares have pulled back from earlier highs while fundamentals remain supportive. Buy, Hold, or Sell: IBM Just Shed 16% Is It a Clear Buy at 268?
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM shares have been volatile recently, with a one-day decline reported in prior coverage before today’s rebound, suggesting traders are still weighing valuation against execution on AI growth. IBM Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: The $17 million DOJ settlement referenced in recent coverage is a governance overhang, though it appears more notable for compliance optics than for direct financial impact. IBM’s $17 million DOJ settlement makes the case for civility

International Business Machines Company 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.