Cape Investment Advisory Inc. Trims Stake in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Cape Investment Advisory Inc. cut its position in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 96.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,810 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $36,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the second quarter valued at about $2,011,122,000. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in 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 worth $4,809,461,000 after acquiring an additional 2,077,506 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 27,928.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,903,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $561,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,896,326 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in International Business Machines by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,052,880 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $861,401,000 after purchasing an additional 865,253 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 64.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,162,741 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $610,239,000 after purchasing an additional 849,500 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM closed its acquisition of Confluent, adding real‑time data streaming to feed AI models and automation across hybrid environments — a strategic move that strengthens IBM’s AI story and long‑term enterprise positioning. IBM Confluent Deal Puts Real Time Data At Core Of AI Story
• Positive Sentiment: IBM Consulting announced a collaboration with The Hackett Group to accelerate enterprise AI adoption by mapping AI use cases to workflows — an execution‑oriented partnership that could help convert product capability into client revenues. IBM Business Operations and The Hackett Group Collaborate
• Positive Sentiment: Media and analyst attention (including endorsements from figures like Jim Cramer) is highlighting IBM’s fundamentals and enterprise AI/quantum positioning, supporting investor interest in the stock’s longer‑term thesis. Jim Cramer Advises to Step In Due to Fundamentals
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term recognition of IBM research continued as IBM Fellow Charles H. Bennett received the A.M. Turing Award — positive for reputation but limited near‑term financial impact. Charles H. Bennett Receives A.M. Turing Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation analyses show mixed momentum: 1‑month and 3‑month returns have lagged despite multi‑year strength, so some investors view the pullback as either a buying opportunity or a sign to wait for clearer earnings execution. A Look At IBM Valuation As Recent Returns Show Mixed Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts trimmed targets after the Confluent deal: JPMorgan cut its target to $283 (neutral rating) citing balanced risk/reward, and BMO lowered its target to $290 with a market‑perform view — both reduce near‑term upside expectations. JPMorgan Lowers IBM Target after Confluent Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought roughly 88,456 put contracts (about a 115% jump vs. average), signaling elevated downside hedging or speculative bearish bets that can amplify intraday selling pressure.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Erste Group Bank lowered International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $361.00 price target on International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM opened at $250.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $234.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.73. 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 50-day moving average price is $273.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.48. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52-week low of $214.50 and a 52-week high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $19.69 billion during 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%. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s 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.