Fondos.Net - IBM Stock Price

IBM Stock Price

International Business Machines Incorporated - just the name makes the business sound important and, for many years, it was the leading brand in office equipment world-wide. IBM was the brand by which all others were judged whether it be a humble mechanical adding machine or, eventually the most powerful of mainframe computers. The company’s roots can be traced back to the eighteen eighties when its precursors made scales and measuring cups. From then until the middle of the last century, IBM was involved in what’s became known as Information Technology. In the nineteen sixties and seventies, it was the IBM 360 series that computed for the world’s most prestigious businesses - Multinational manufacturers, International Banks, Airlines, and of course, governments almost everywhere. The great blue cabinets with the spinning reels of tape and the characteristic whining and clicking were as familiar to people as their families faces. When people went into stores to buy a computer, be it for personal or business use, the first criterion was always “IBM Compatible”.
Then came the silicon chip and whereas a 360-40 for example needed an entire floor of a building with specially designed climate control, antistatic materials everywhere and kid-glove handling, the new PCs sat on desktops and needed only perfunctory care to keep them operational. True, the new machines didn’t have the potential power or reliability of a mainframe computer but most users didn’t need that anyway. In any case, it wasn’t too long before the chip was developed enough to provide the power the big machines had previously supplied. Windows was potentially the downfall of IBM - here was an operating system that was cheap and easy to use and there was a fear that IBM would suffer badly. IBM stock did take a slight downturn in the early 1990s but whether or not that was anything to do with Bill Gates is a moot point.
Today IBM is a very substantial business. It has assets of $109 billion, revenue of over $96 billion, it employs 329,001 (so says it’s web site) and has 671, 000 plus stockholders. The product range has, of course, been developed. Hand operated adding machines and huge mainframe computers have been superseded by cutting edge technology in systems, software, networking systems, storage devices and microelectronics. The company has, probably from necessity, taken on the challenges and risen to them. Since that blip, the stock has done well. From the third quarter of 1993 to the end of 1999, it saw excellent growth reaching a high only just short of $150.
Since then, stability has been the keyword. There was a dip after 9/11 but apart from that, the IBM share price has been pretty steady in the $80-$100 range. Over the same period, dividends have shown steady improvement too - from 15 cents in October 2002 to 20 cents for the dividend payable in September. That equates to $4.94 per share so, on a share currently valued at just over $80, it licks the bank as a percentage.

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