INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $176 - New York symbol IBM

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $176 (New York symbol IBM, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $193.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 2.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ibm.com) is selling its low-end server operations to China’s Lenovo Group, the same company that acquired IBM’s personal computer division in 2005. IBM will hang on to its more profitable mainframe computer business.

Because Lenovo is a Chinese company, the deal could run into trouble on national security grounds. But if regulators approve, IBM will receive $2 billion in cash and $300 million in Lenovo shares. The cash would help the company expand in areas with greater potential, including cloud computing and analytics services, which help businesses analyze large amounts of data and improve their efficiency.

IBM is a buy.

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.