Aberdeen Group plc Boosts Holdings in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,142,355 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,265 shares during the period. International Business Machines comprises 0.5% of Aberdeen Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.12% of International Business Machines worth $324,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new stake in International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $28,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 126 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 48.5% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 147 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Davis Capital Management bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM says it will triple U.S. entry-level hiring in 2026, recasting junior roles for the AI era — a sign management is investing in talent to scale AI initiatives and support growth despite automation risk. IBM tripling Gen Z hiring
• Positive Sentiment: Confluent shareholders approved the merger agreement with an IBM subsidiary, clearing a regulatory/transactional hurdle that supports IBM’s data-streaming and hybrid cloud strategy if the deal closes. Confluent shareholders approve IBM acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Product/technology updates — IBM highlighted AI-related enhancements to FlashSystem storage and QRadar security, reinforcing its enterprise storage/security positioning that supports recurring revenue and cross-sell into large customers. IBM AI FlashSystem And QRadar Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM has been a trending stock on retail news sites and equity screens — heightened attention can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t imply fundamental change on its own. Zacks trending stock note
• Neutral Sentiment: Small institutional portfolio moves: Advisors Asset Management disclosed a modest trimming of IBM (~-20.9k shares in the 12/31/25 13F update) — routine reweights can add volume but aren’t necessarily a directional signal. Quiver Quant fund update
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought a large block of put options (56,108 contracts, ~+42% vs. average), signaling elevated hedging or directional bearish bets that can amplify downside moves. (No article link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Short-seller criticism: veteran short seller Jim Chanos publicly called IBM “an AI risk, not an AI leader,” arguing market expectations for IBM’s AI leadership may be overstated — this negative publicity could pressure sentiment and invite further sell-side scrutiny. Chanos calls IBM an AI risk

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $262.33 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $299.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.03. International Business Machines Corporation has a 1 year low of $214.50 and a 1 year high of $324.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $245.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The company had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. International Business Machines’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $1.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IBM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Argus set a $360.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $361.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.07.

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.