Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in International Business Machines Corporation $IBM

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 176,779 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,712,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 424.6% during the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 260,740 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $77,234,000 after purchasing an additional 211,040 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 24.8% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 64,458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,624,000 after buying an additional 12,791 shares in the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA grew its position in International Business Machines by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 18,288 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,417,000 after buying an additional 2,930 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC acquired a new stake in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter valued at $3,317,000. Finally, Sage Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $4,101,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quantum-computing milestone: IBM, Cleveland Clinic and RIKEN advanced to the finals of the 2026 ACM Gordon Bell Prize after using quantum-centric supercomputing to model a 12,635-atom protein. The recognition supports IBM’s long-term positioning in quantum computing and life-sciences applications. Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN and IBM Team Advance to Finals for 2026 ACM Gordon Bell Prize
• Positive Sentiment: AI and open-source collaboration: LTM is working with IBM and Red Hat on Lightwell, an initiative focused on AI-driven remediation of open-source software. The partnership reinforces IBM’s hybrid-cloud, Red Hat and enterprise-AI ecosystem. LTM Collaborates with IBM and Red Hat on Lightwell
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand and contracts: Quiver reported that 1,936 institutional investors increased IBM positions in the latest quarter, versus 1,592 that reduced holdings. JPMorgan, Sixth Street Partners and Wellington made sizable additions. The data also showed approximately $1.1 billion in government award payments over the past year, providing support for IBM’s public-sector business. IBM Stock Data and Institutional Activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparison: Zacks said Arista Networks currently has an edge over IBM because of stronger performance, rising estimates and AI-cloud growth, although IBM offers exposure to cloud and AI at a potentially more moderate valuation. Arista vs. IBM
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: IBM Senior Vice President Robert David Thomas sold 25,000 shares for an estimated $5.8 million. Quiver also reported that congressional IBM trading included more sales than purchases, though the signal is not directly tied to operating performance. IBM Insider and Congressional Trading Data

International Business Machines Stock Up 3.5%

IBM stock opened at $240.12 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $238.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $199.19 and a 52 week high of $332.46.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.52% and a return on equity of 35.65%. The firm had revenue of $17.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.46 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. International Business Machines’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IBM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of International Business Machines to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wedbush set a $350.00 price target on International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on International Business Machines from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered International Business Machines to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $265.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert Thomas sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total value of $5,758,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 47,800 shares in the company, valued at $11,009,296. This trade represents a 34.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

International Business Machines Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company that provides enterprise-focused hardware, software and services. Its offerings include hybrid cloud solutions, artificial intelligence, data and automation software, cybersecurity tools, IT infrastructure and technology consulting.

IBM develops and supports enterprise systems such as IBM Z mainframes, Power servers and storage products. Its software portfolio includes Red Hat hybrid cloud technologies, the watsonx platform for artificial intelligence and data management, application integration tools and cybersecurity solutions.