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Why IBM's Current Dividend Increase Is More of a Token Dividend Raise

Why Is DBaas Preferred over Traditional Databases?
DBaaS makes it easier to build applications in the cloud. This is why DBaaS is expected to become a dominant deployment model for all databases.

What Helped Microsoft Capture the Largest Market Share?
Microsoft (MSFT) is behind only Amazon (AMZN) in the overall cloud space.

How IBM’s Strategic Imperatives Performed in Fiscal 4Q17
Earlier in the series, we discussed IBM’s (IBM) geographical revenues and the impact of currency fluctuations, especially the US dollar’s (UUP) impact on the company’s fiscal 4Q17 results.

How the Server Market’s Growth Impacted Oracle in Fiscal 1Q18
According to Gartner, server market revenues grew 2.8% to ~$13.9 billion, while shipments grew 2.4% to ~2.8 million units in 2Q17.

Why HP Sold Its 51% Stake in H3C Technologies This Month
On May 21, 2015, HP (HPQ) officially announced the sale of its 51% share in H3C Technologies to China-based Tsinghua Holdings subsidiary, Unisplendour.

IBM Led Peers in Patents in 2017
Earlier in the series, we discussed IBM’s improved position in the cloud space due to its prowess in the hybrid cloud space.

What’s Amazon’s Gobal AWS Strategy Now?
Amazon’s AWS is a fast-growing business for the company that saw its revenues rise by 55% YoY (year-over-year) to over $3.2 billion in 3Q16.

How IBM’s Strategic Imperatives Segment Performed in 3Q17
IBM’s Strategic Imperatives segment is increasingly focused on IoT (Internet of Things), AI (artificial intelligence), and Blockchain technologies.

Why IBM’s Earnings Could Fall Going Forward
International Business Machines (IBM) reported its 2Q17 results on Tuesday, July 18. The company reported falling quarterly profits and sales yet again.

Oracle’s Value Proposition: A Peer Comparison
Oracle was trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple of ~8.6x on June 29, 2016.

Why the Microsoft–Amazon Cloud Competition Could Spike in 2019
Microsoft, Amazon, and other vendors are pursuing a $278.3 billion revenue opportunity in the global public cloud market, according to the latest Gartner estimates.

Inside the Market’s View of Corporate Tax Cuts
Are markets upbeat on potential tax reforms? The markets (SPY) (IVV) surged last week with the announcement of a phenomenal update on the corporate tax cut. The S&P and Nasdaq Comp gained ~2% in the week ended February 10, 2017. The Trump administration’s proposed tax cut is likely to boost the economy, though analysts have […]

What Can Go Wrong for Intel in Fiscal 2016?
Intel gained a lion’s share in the PC and sever space. However, IBM’s Power Architecture may challenge Intel’s dominance in the server market in the future.

Why Microsoft Isn’t the Only Threat to Amazon’s Cloud Dominance
In late 2016, Oracle (ORCL) launched the second generation of its IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) offering, Oracle Bare Metal Cloud.

What Can We Expect from Salesforce’s Fiscal 3Q17 Results?
For fiscal 3Q17, analysts expect Salesforce (CRM) to post revenue and non-GAAP EPS (earnings per share) of ~$2.12 billion and $0.21, respectively.

Inside Berkshire’s Investment Income and Valuations after 3Q17
As of October 2017, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) stock has returned 3.2% in the past month and 31.4% over the past four quarters.

Understanding Investors’ Response towards Apple’s Bond Sale
Apple continues its bond sale trend in 2017 Earlier in this series, we discussed how IBM had continued its trend of share buybacks, and how the IT (Information Technology) sector continued to be the top spender among industries. In early February 2017, Apple (APPL) raised $10 billion in debt. The Financial Times, citing Dealogic estimates, stated […]

What to Expect from Ericsson in 2Q17
Ericsson (ERIC) is expected to announce its 2Q17 results on July 18, 2017. Analysts expect Ericsson to post revenue of $5.7 billion with a low estimate of $5.6 billion and a high estimate of $5.8 billion for the quarter.

IBM Systems Segment Failed to Benefit from Server Market Growth
Despite growth in the server market after five quarters, IBM’s Systems segment failed to benefit from it.

Why HP resorted to layoffs to reduce its costs
Social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (or SMAC) is a disruptive technology that’s transforming the current IT environment at a rapid pace. Many technology leaders, who failed to acknowledge its importance or were slow in embracing it, are suffering. HP has been impacted by SMAC.

SaaS, PaaS Playing a Role in Oracle’s Growing Net Margins
In the past ten quarters including fiscal 1Q17, Oracle’s revenues have missed analyst expectations nine times.

Comparing Microsoft’s Valuation with Peers’
Microsoft stock closed at $101.87 on June 20, close to its lower Bollinger Band of $98.

What does the future hold for Hewlett-Packard after the split?
HP’s (HPQ) split into HP Inc. and HP Enterprise will finalize by November of 2015.

IBM’s Value Proposition in the US Software Space
IBM was trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple of 8.77x on April 8, 2016. This was lower than Microsoft’s and Oracle’s at 10.22x and 9.10x, respectively.

Can China Manage Growth without Fueling a Debt Crisis?
While there is no denying that China (FXI) needs stimulus measures to kickstart its slowing economy, any propping up needs to be done in a way to avoid another debt-fueled crisis.

How the Agile 3 Buyout Could Boost IBM’s Strategic Imperatives
In sync with IBM’s Strategic Imperatives In the previous part of this series, we discussed IBM’s (IBM) acquisition of Agile 3 Solutions. According to IBM, Agile 3 Solutions marks the company’s 20th security-related acquisition aimed at enhancing its expertise in the cybersecurity space. Since 2015, IBM has employed or hired 1,900 security experts. It has also […]

What Are Analysts’ Recommendations for Salesforce’s Stock?
Salesforce is a prominent player in the software space, along with Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), IBM (IBM), and SAP (SAP).

Oracle’s Services Segment Performance in Fiscal 1Q16
Oracle’s Services segment is composed of consulting, customer support, and education services for its products and services.

Is Oracle Stock Losing Momentum?
Oracle’s tepid top- and bottom-line guidance for fiscal Q1 2019 has affected its stock price.

Why Upbeat Results Are Expected from Amazon Web Services in 2Q16
Amazon’s cloud-computing segment, Amazon Web Services, is growing at a rapid rate. It continues to maintain a market-leading position in the cloud space.

What Has Boosted Oracle Stock So Far in 2017?
Although UBS is wary of Oracle’s transition to the cloud, Oracle has managed to achieve high growth rates consistently in this space.

The Strong Dollar Is Dragging Down US Companies’ Revenues
As earnings reports and analyst call transcripts show, many of the companies reporting sales misses cited the strong dollar as a contributing factor.

Microsoft and Avere Systems: A Step Forward in Hybrid Cloud?
Recently, the hybrid cloud space has been seeing a lot of activity. Microsoft is not the only company interested in the hybrid cloud space.

How an Extended Agreement with Krungsri Will Help IBM
IBM strengthened its ties with leading financial company Krungsri to help the financial company achieve its digital transition goal.

Why Have IBM’s 7-nm Chips Created Such Excitement?
With the development of 7-nm chips, IBM has surpassed Intel, which is still working on 10-nm chips.

Apple May Debut 2017 iPhone with Much Larger Display
Under pressure to impress consumers, Apple (AAPL) is reportedly working on radical designs for the iPhone 8, which could include a curved display.

Cloud Arms Race Continues as Amazon Opens Argentina Office
Amazon (AMZN) is expanding its cloud footprint in Latin America as it pursues growth overseas.

Why FireEye Partnered with Microsoft
Following in the footsteps of tech giants IBM (IBM) and Microsoft (MSFT), which partnered to expand and strengthen their offerings, FireEye is also entering an industry partnership with Microsoft.

Behind NetApp’s Cost-Reduction Strategy in Fiscal 2018
NetApp (NTAP) has reduced its cost base so far in fiscal 2017 in an effort to offset declining revenues.

Dollar Appreciation Impacts IBM’s Growth in 2Q15
IBM pointed to the strengthening US dollar for the decline in its revenues, which fell by 13.5% in fiscal 2Q15. On a constant currency basis, revenue only declined by 1%.

Apple Should Pose the Biggest Threat to Fitbit
The Apple Watch is the biggest threat to Fitbit despite its being released only recently. In April, Apple released the Watch in nine countries.

IBM’s Hardware Segment Is Far from Reporting Revenue Growth
IBM’s Hardware segment was the worst-hit operating segment in fiscal 3Q15, registering a revenue fall of 39% on a year-over-year basis to $1.5 billion.

Chart in Focus: AMD’s Moore’s Law Plus Concept
AMD developed the concept of Moore’s Law Plus to drive future innovation.

After Microsoft R3CV Deal, Bank of Ireland Shared Blockchain Trial
On April 5, 2016, the Bank of Ireland (IREBY) stated that in collaboration with Deloitte, the bank has successfully finished a joint proof-of-concept blockchain trial.

Legacy Storage Vendors Hit by Disruptive Innovation
Legacy storage vendors like EMC (EMC), IBM (IBM), and NetApp (NTAP) are witnessing a decline in their market share.

The Word on the Street: What Do Analysts Recommend for IBM Now?
Of the 27 analyst recommendations on IBM stock, 56% were “hold” as of July 8, 2016. About 26% were “buy” recommendations, and 19% were “sell.”

Microsoft Reports Earnings Tomorrow, Stock Shows 23 Percent Upside
As Microsoft gears up to report its earnings, the stock has soared this year. The company’s stock price has risen 34% in 2020.

How Did IBM’s Global Business Services Perform in Fiscal 2Q15?
In its fiscal 2Q15 earnings release, IBM stated that its customers are moving away from big on-premise ERP projects towards smaller projects.

IBM Has Ample Space for Growth in Hybrid Cloud Space
Amazon’s AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud all include enterprise AI solutions such as translation, NLP (natural language processing), and image recognition.

Inside IBM’s Cognitive Solutions Performance in 2Q16
IBM’s Cognitive Solutions segment’s revenues grew by 3.5% to $4.7 billion in fiscal 2Q16. In this segment, cloud revenues grew by 55%.

Apple May Report Subdued Apple Watch Sales in 3Q15
Apple has tried its best to popularize the Apple Watch. A couple of months ago, Apple and IBM (IBM) added three new apps for Apple Watch.

Red Hat: 56th Consecutive Quarter of Revenue Growth
Red Hat (RHT), a leading Linux software and open-source provider, was the latest in the technology space to announce its fiscal 4Q16 earnings.

Does Twitter’s Future Hinge on AI?
Twitter (TWTR) announced earlier this year that it was deploying AI to crack down on bad actors on its platform.

Behind IBM’s Stock Reaction to Its Latest Quarterly Results
IBM saw its shares fall 8.2% in April, after the firm reported its 1Q17 results. IBM reported revenue of $18.2 billion for 1Q17—slightly below the analyst estimate.

Why Salesforce Was Named a Digital Marketing Hub Leader
Focus on Marketing Cloud Earlier in this series, we discussed Salesforce’s (CRM) acquisition of Sequence. On February 20, 2017, Salesforce shared that it has been positioned as a leader by Gartner in its February 2017 Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Hubs report. Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud CEO and chief analytics officer Bob Stutz said that “we believe Salesforce’s […]
A must-read overview of Twitter’s third quarter 2014 earnings
Twitter (TWTR) continues to produce robust revenue growth. Twitter even raised its guidance for 4Q14 revenue as well as its adjusted EBITDA.

Will IBM Watson’s Foray into Financial Services Succeed in 2017?
IBM’s acquisitions to boost Watson Since its inception, IBM (IBM) has been betting heavily on Watson, its cognitive computing platform, to steer the company toward much-needed growth. As expected, Watson was IBM’s highlight in 2016 and is expected to be in 2017 as well. Considering IBM’s acquisitions to equip Watson in the healthcare space, namely […]

How 1Q18 Treated Microsoft’s Margins
Segment-wise contribution to revenue and margins So far in this series, we’ve discussed Microsoft’s (MSFT) segment-wise performance, Whereas its Productivity and Business Processes and Intelligent Cloud segments reported growth, its MPC (More Personal Computing) segment did not. Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and MPC contributed 24%, ~28%, and 38%, respectively, of the company’s total revenue in fiscal […]

Why Intel is aggressively eyeing the IoT space
According to the IDC, the IoT (Internet of Things) market is expected to reach $7.1 trillion in sales by 2020—up from $1.9 trillion in 2014.

Is IBM Plotting to Put PayPal Out of Business?
IBM (IBM) announced in February 2017 that it was teaming up with Visa (V) to enable people to pay for goods and services through virtually any connected device.

Did Microsoft’s Strong Revenue Growth Results Improve Its Margins?
In fiscal 1Q17, Microsoft’s gross margin stood at ~61.7%, as compared to ~64.7% in fiscal 1Q16. Intelligent Cloud contributed ~34% to total revenues.

HP’s Analysts Might Surprise You
As of February 22, HP has generated investor returns of 56.6% in the trailing-12-month period and 10.4% in the trailing-one-month.

Why “big data” and IoT are important to Intel’s growth
In March 2014, Intel (INTC) announced that it invested $740 million in Cloudera—in return for an 18% stake ownership in the company.

China Is Taking a Variety of Steps to Boost Its Economy
To provide a boost to its slowing economy, China cut its benchmark one-year lending rate for the fifth time in 2015. The PBoC slashed it by 25 basis points to 4.4%, effective October 24, 2015.

Cognizant Reported Its 1Q18 Results on May 7
Cognizant Technology Solutions reported its 1Q18 results on May 7, and its stock fell more than 5.2% on the day.

Why Salesforce Holds the Title of Most Innovative Company
In 2016, Salesforce has continued to report double-digit growth and was ranked as the most innovative company by Forbes for the sixth straight year.

How Could Symantec’s Norton Benefit from LifeLock’s Buyout?
Continued sluggishness in computer market In the previous part, we discussed Symantec’s (SYMC) latest acquisition of LifeLock. PC (personal computer) shipments fell for the eighth consecutive quarter in 3Q16. Gartner said that this was “the longest duration of decline in the history of the PC industry.” Let’s discuss how this acquisition is going to enhance its […]
Why investors should be concerned about IBM
IBM (IBM) is known for its acquisitions, patents, and technology research. It has been criticized because of its lack of revenue growth for several consecutive quarters.

HP’s Recommendations: What the Analysts Say
HP has generated investor returns of 70.5% in the trailing-12-month period and 8.7% in the trailing-one-month period.

Boeing Stock: Worst Weekly Fall since 2016
Boeing stock fell 10.3% last week—the biggest weekly loss in the last three years. The stock fell 11.4% during the week ending February 12, 2016.
Why IBM stands out as a leader in middleware solutions
Lately, IBM has seen lot of harsh criticism due to its poor financial results and faltering leadership position. But there are some technological areas where the company still stands tall.
Why Apple is seeing some momentum for iPads in enterprises
A few months ago, Apple and IBM (IBM) forged a partnership. IBM’s “big data” and analytics capabilities would help Apple analyze the data collected from Apple’s devices.

Will Apple Force Trump to Reduce the Tax Rate?
In August 2016, Apple’s CEO, in a talk with The Washington Post about the company’s cash held overseas, said, “We’re not going to bring back until there’s a fair rate.”

Why middleware is an integral component of software industry
The sequential binding of applications through the use of middleware is known as enterprise application integration (or EAI).

Why HPE Is Optimistic about Long-Term Growth
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has introduced several products in the last few months, building a wide array of solutions.

Could Hexadite Mark the Onset of Microsoft’s M&A Spree?
Believed to be the world’s largest cyberattack, WannaCry ransomware infected more than 230,000 computers in almost 150 countries.

Why Microsoft Partnered with Lenovo
Microsoft has extended its partnership with Lenovo, a leading vendor in the PC space, because it generates the majority of its revenue from the PC market.
Why App Store’s business growth is offsetting iTune’s decline
App Store is one of Apple’s (AAPL) fastest growing businesses. For reporting purposes, Apple combines the iTunes business with App Store under the category iTunes, Software, and Services.

What Could Teaching Watson Tax Filing Yield for IBM?
IBM (IBM) announced in February 2017 that H&R Block was deploying Watson to its 70,000 tax professionals with the aim of eliminating human errors in tax filing.

Microsoft Plans to Boost Its Presence in the Hybrid Cloud Space
Microsoft (MSFT) completed the acquisition of BlueStripe on June 10, 2015. Technology players are aggressively aiming to expand their presence in the cloud space.

How NetApp Is Increasing Shareholder Value
NetApp has stated that it is fully committed to executing its capital allocation programs and to creating value for shareholders.

Behind NetApp’s Focus on Strategic Solutions
NetApp CEO George Kurian has stated that the firm will focus on strategic solutions “that represent our pivot to the growth segments of the market.”

Why IBM’s Hardware Segment Suffered a Double-Digit Fall in 2Q15
IBM’s hardware segment’s contribution toward overall revenues is decreasing. In 2Q14, hardware constituted ~12.5% of IBM’s overall revenues, reduced to 9.6% of IBM’s overall revenues in fiscal 2Q15.

Open-Source Databases Are Set to Overtake Commercial Databases
The double-digit growth of open source databases is posing an additional threat to Oracle, which has a revenue share of 48.3% in this space.

How AddThis Will Strengthen Oracle’s Marketing Cloud Position
AddThis will be a part of Oracle’s Data Cloud and provide extensive market intelligence, which will boost Oracle’s presence in the marketing cloud space.

Intuit Is Increasing Its Focus on QuickBooks Services
The divestiture of QuickBooks will enable Intuit to focus on its online, subscription-based services, especially its flagship cloud software QuickBooks Online.

Overview: Highbridge Capital Management’s 2Q14 positions
Highbridge Capital Management is an alternative investment management organization. It was founded in 1992. The company has developed a diversified investment platform.

IBM Follows Alliance Route to Enhance Its Pace in Blockchain Tech
Strategic imperatives ruled International Business Machines’ (IBM) 3Q16 results. Recently, we also discussed IBM’s new interest in blockchain technology.

How VMWare’s $1.3 Billion Nicira Acquisition Is Helping It
VMware (VMW) parted with $1.3 billion three years ago to acquire Nicira, a software-defined networking company. Now, VMware is beginning to show that it made the right decision.

Teradata Struggles as Cloud Adoption Increases
Teradata primarily generates revenues from data and analytics and marketing applications. Its core business is struggling, as data warehouses are increasingly moving toward the cloud.

Understaning Intel’s Slow Data Center Revenue Growth
In fiscal 1Q16, Intel’s Data Center Group revenues rose by 9% YoY to $4 billion, making for another quarter of single-digit growth.
Must-know: IBM’s current status in the hardware space
The rising cost of manufacturing chips caused a decline in IBM’s (IBM) volume base. It forced the company to divest the business.

Apple breaking new records with App Store sales
Apple takes a 30% cut from developers selling via the App Store. So Apple would have earned about $4.3 billion from the App Store in 2014.

iPhone and Mac could drive Apple’s growth in fiscal 1Q15
iPhone contributed about 57% of Apple’s revenues in fiscal 2014, up from 55% in fiscal 2013. This could increase when Apple announces its 1Q15 results.

Why Was Cloud the Chief Focus for Microsoft in 2015?
Cloud technology is one area that highly dominated Microsoft’s reports, filings, and presentations in 2015.

Why the IBM-Salesforce Deal Matters to AI
IBM has been betting heavily on Watson, its cognitive computing platform, to steer the company toward much-needed growth.

Could Microsoft Stock Maintain Its Upward Trend in 2017?
Despite Amazon’s dominance and scale in the cloud space, IBM (IBM), Microsoft, and Google saw a combined 5% increase in market share in 2016 compared to 2015.

SAP-Concur buyout is one of the largest deals in the tech space
According to Dealogic, SAP’s (SAP) acquisition of Concur Technologies ranks among the top ten largest software deals. SAP acquired Concur Technologies for $8.3 billion. SAP paid $129 per share. It represents a 20% premium over Concur Technologies’ closing price on September 17.
Why divestitures and spinoffs are becoming common
Disruptive technologies like social, mobile, analytics, and cloud (or SMAC) are driving change in the IT and technology sector. This increases the need for continuous innovation.