IBM gains in the cloud

Article Excerpt

IBM, $138.51, is still a buy. Last year, the company (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 904.1 million; Market cap: $109.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.8%) spun off Kyndryl Holdings Inc. (New York symbol KD). That firm helps corporate and government clients manage their datacentres. The split left IBM to focus on its more-profitable cloud computing (internet based), consulting and mainframe businesses. In the quarter ended September 30, 2022, revenue rose 6.5%, to $14.11 billion from $13.25 billion a year earlier. Excluding exchange rates, revenue rose 15%. Earnings per share in the quarter fell 1.6%, to $1.81 from $1.84. Even so, that beat the consensus estimate of $1.77. The decline was largely due to the negative impact of currency rate changes and higher labour costs. The company will likely earn $10.50 a share in 2023, and the stock trades at a moderate 13.2 times that estimate. The stock yields a high 4.8%. IBM remains a buy. buy…