Earn high yields with these legacy tech firms

Article Excerpt

IBM and Cisco continue to reward investors with annual dividend hikes. Despite the current stock market weakness, we feel both firms will benefit from the ongoing shift to cloud computing platforms. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $123 is a buy. The company (New York symbol IBM, Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 896.3 million; Market cap: $110.2 billion; Dividend yield: 5.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.ibm.com) is one of the world’s largest computer companies, with operations in over 175 countries. IBM has raised its dividend for 27 consecutive years and has paid quarterly dividends every year since 1916. The June 2022 quarterly payment of $1.65 a share reflects this year’s 0.6% increase in the quarterly payment. The new annual rate of $6.60 yields a high 5.4%. The company is now shifting its focus to cloud computing. That’s where it offers clients remote computer storage of their data files, which they access on the Internet. As part of that plan, IBM spun off Kyndryl Holdings Inc…