IBM teams up with Apple

Article Excerpt

IBM $185.97 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $197.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.4%; www.ibm.com) was a business rival of Apple Inc. (Nasdaq symbol AAPL) as far back as the 1980s, when its IBM PCs battled Apple’s Macintosh computers for market leadership. Now the two companies have put that rivalry aside and formed a promising alliance. Under the deal, IBM will develop business related programs, or apps, for the Apple iPhone and iPad. IBM will also provide on-site support and service for Apple products for companies that use its mainframes and software. The popularity of Apple’s products should help IBM spur demand for its analytics software and computer-management services. Meanwhile, IBM earned $4.32 a share in the three months ended June 30, 2014, up 34.2% from $3.22 a year earlier. The higher earnings are entirely due to savings from IBM’s recent restructuring plan. That more than offset a 2.2% decline in revenue, to $24.4 billion from…