Software buys for IBM

Article Excerpt

IBM $176.85 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $208.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 1.7%) recently bought two companies that will strengthen its software business. IBM is paying $387 million for privately held Algorithmics. This Toronto-based firm makes software that helps banks and insurance companies analyze a wide variety of data, and make better lending decisions. The company is also paying an undisclosed amount for i2, a U.K.-based firm whose software helps its clients cut down on fraud. i2 has over 4,500 customers in 150 countries. IBM is a buy. buy…