AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Invests $19.98 Million in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 70,803 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,978,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 2.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,051,475 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,019,274,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913,708 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,536,963 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $16,076,406,000 after buying an additional 147,721 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,936,235 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,444,527,000 after buying an additional 400,131 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in International Business Machines by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 7,126,503 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,100,751,000 after buying an additional 234,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,011,122,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and upbeat 2026 outlook: IBM reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (EPS $4.52; revenue $19.69B) and raised its revenue outlook for 2026 (management expects >5% revenue growth and higher free cash flow). Those results and guidance are being cited as the core reason investors are buying the stock. IBM beats fourth-quarter estimates, forecasts 5% revenue growth in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: AI and software momentum: Management said AI-related revenue topped ~$12.5B and software and infrastructure businesses showed double‑digit growth — driving margins, free cash flow, and investor confidence in IBM’s AI strategy. IBM Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates on Strong Cloud and AI Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets: Several firms reacted positively — Evercore raised its target to $345 (outperform), Bank of America reiterated a buy with $340, and RBC highlighted IBM as a defensive AI play — adding buying pressure. Analyst price-target coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A — Confluent acquisition: IBM announced an ~$11B deal for Confluent to bolster real‑time data streaming and AI deployment, which investors view as accelerating IBM’s AI platform capabilities. Cloud Stocks: Analysis Of IBM’s Confluent Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained: IBM declared a quarterly dividend of $1.68 per share (ex-dividend Feb 10), supporting income investors but not a growth catalyst. Dividend announcement / press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Small mixed analyst moves: JPMorgan nudged its target to $317 but kept a neutral rating — a modest endorsement that contrasts with higher targets from others and tempers upside expectations. JPMorgan price target update
• Negative Sentiment: Risks and skeptics: Some commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) points to execution risks, Red Hat headwinds previously noted by analysts, and concerns about integration/price of the Confluent deal — factors that could pressure the stock if results or synergies miss expectations. IBM: Limping Into 2026

International Business Machines Stock Up 4.9%

Shares of IBM opened at $308.67 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $302.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $282.98. International Business Machines Corporation has a 12-month low of $214.50 and a 12-month high of $324.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market cap of $288.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share 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 39.96%. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 80.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on IBM shares. Erste Group Bank raised International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Dbs Bank raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.93.

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.