Shifting IBM focus pays off

Article Excerpt

IBM, $192.14, is still a buy. The company (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 918.6 million; Market cap: $175.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.5%) has shifted its focus in the past few years to its more-profitable cloud computing, consulting and mainframe businesses. In the three months ended June 30, 2024, IBM’s revenue rose 1.9%, to $15.77 billion from $15.48 billion a year earlier. Thanks to a plan to improve productivity, earnings per share, before one-time items, gained 11.5%, to $2.43 from $2.18. That beat the consensus estimate of $2.20. The stock trades at 19.3 times IBM’s projected 2024 earnings of $9.94 a share. That’s a low p/e considering the company continues to earmark a high 12% of its revenue to research and is adding artificial intelligence features to its software products. The $6.64 dividend yields 3.5%. IBM remains a buy. buy…