Topic: How To Invest

Dividend Advisor Hotline – Friday, July 12, 2024

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP., $182.77, New York symbol IBM, is a top pick for 2024. The company is one of the world’s largest computer firms, with operations in over 175 countries. With the June 2024 payment, IBM raised your quarterly dividend by 0.6%, to $1.67 a share from $1.66. The new annual rate of $6.68 yields a solid 3.7%. The company has paid regular dividends since 1916 and has increased the annual rate each year for the past 29 years. IBM often buys other companies to enhance its expertise. It cuts the risk of using acquisitions to expand by targeting smaller firms that are easier to absorb. For example, the company has just purchased two firms—StreamSets and webMethods—from Germany’s Software AG. It has not yet said how much it paid for these businesses. StreamSets helps businesses move massive amounts of data from multiple sources to a centralized storage centre where other systems and applications can access that information. webMethods helps businesses manage their data and applications…