International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) is out with earnings which are not excessively positive. Big Blue has a new CEO and may have Warren Buffett behind it, but shares were down about 10% from the year high. This is the highest weighting of all DJIA stocks by far, so its 10% DJIA index weighting could drag the DJIA on Friday if there is not any improvement.
Earnings came in at $4.62 EPS and $29.5 billion in revenues. The earnings estimate from Thomson Reuters was $4.62 EPS on $29.74 billion in sales.
The services backlog of orders was listed at $141 billion versus $137 billion at the end of September and versus a June figure for backlog of about $144 billion. The 2012 guidance is being taken as an “under-promise to over-deliver” because that is $14.16 or so was a net but the adjusted figure is at least $14.85 EPS versus a Thomson Reuters consensus of about $14.80. The company has also noted that it is well on its way to pass its target of $20.00 EPS by 2015.
At $180.52 after a 0.3% drop today, the stock was up 2% in the after-hours around $184.00 and still wedged between its 50-day moving average ($185.19) and the 200-day moving average ($174.45).
Options traders were pricing in a move of $3 or $4 in either direction after the news.
JON C. OGG
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