Take the long view with IBM

Article Excerpt

IBM reported disappointing earnings for the first quarter of 2013. That’s because businesses put off signing deals for new computers and related services due to the uncertain economy. We like IBM’s long-term outlook as much as ever. The company is in a strong position to profit from several trends, including cloud computing and data analytics. IBM could further enhance its growth prospects by selling more of its hardware operations. That would give it additional cash to expand its more-profitable software business, which will probably supply half its earnings by 2015. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $192 (New York symbol IBM, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $211.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ibm.com) started up in 1911, which makes it the world’s oldest computer company. Today, it operates in over 170 countries. IBM continues to shift out of less profitable businesses, like making personal computers, and toward more…