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Topic: Blue Chip Stocks

Large cap stocks: Strong emerging market demand pushes IBM’s earnings higher

International Business Machines Corp., symbol IBM on New York, reported higher-than-expected earnings in the latest quarter.

In the three months ended March 31, 2011, the large cap stock’s earnings rose 10.1%, to $2.9 billion from $2.6 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 17.3%, to $2.31 from $1.97, on fewer shares outstanding. Excluding one-time items, such as costs related to acquisitions, IBM earned $2.41 a share. On that basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $2.29.

Revenue rose 7.7%, to $24.6 billion from $22.9 billion a year earlier. That was higher than the consensus revenue estimate of $24.0 billion. Revenue from Brazil, Russia, India and China (which together account for 21% of IBM’s overall revenue), jumped 26%. The company is also seeing strong demand for its new System Z mainframe computer.

However, the value of the large cap stock’s new service contracts fell 14% in the quarter, to $10.5 billion. That missed the consensus estimate of $13 billion. As of March 31, 2011, IBM’s service order backlog was $142 billion, or 1.4 times its annual revenue.

The company now expects to earn $13.15 a share in 2011, up 1.2% from its earlier forecast of $13.00.

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