International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) News: Job Cuts, Immigration Bill, Raised PT & Unveiled Cloud App

Editor’s Note: Related tickers: International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL), salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM)

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)Tata Wins Over IBM, Dell in India With Solar Cheaper Than Grid (Businessweek)
Tata Group’s solar unit is expanding its business building plants for customers, forecasting that offices and factories will be paying more for grid power than solar by 2016 in most Indian states. …The company, formerly known as Tata BP Solar Ltd., is seeking to diversify from making panels after an oversupply from Chinese competitors crushed prices globally and idled Indian factories. Customers for whom it has already completed solar plants for self-generation include Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL), the country’s biggest carmaker, and the local units of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)

International Business Machines Corp (IBM): How IBM Would Benefit From The New Immigration Bill? (IStockAnalyst)
The recent immigration bill should be a positive for the service portfolio of International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), along with other US services companies, and a material boost to their competitiveness versus its Indian counterparts. An immigration bill (Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act) that just cleared the Senate for debate proposes may result in, among other things, higher costs of temporary work visas for US employers in IT outsourcing and consulting that have a large portion of their employee base outside of the US.

IBM needs job losses to ‘invest in growth’ (AFR)
Unions have warned that International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) will struggle to maintain its customer service levels to major clients such as the Big Four banks and Qantas following its large scale redundancy round, after IBM said it needed to fire workers in order to focus on future growth opportunities. Reports emerged on Wednesday that International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)’s local arm was in the midst of cutting as many as 1500 positions in Australia, a figure the company declined to confirm. The large numbers tally with unverified claims made by anonymous posters on the Alliance@IBM discussion board.

IBM PT Raised to $210.00 (IBM) (MideastTime)
Equities research analysts at RBC Capital lifted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) from $200.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, StockRatingsNetwork reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. RBC Capital’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.50% from the company’s current price. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) in a research note to investors on Monday. They now have a $220.00 price target on the stock.

Armenian students to be involved in IBM’s research program (ArmenPress)
The issue of involvement of the Armenian students in International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)’s research program is under discussion. The General Director of Armenian Development Agency Robert Harutyunyan stated this in a conversation with “Armenpress”. Also the General Director underscored: “We have already developed the project of memorandum on mutual understanding jointly with International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM). The document introduces the directions and priorities of the cooperation with the technological giant. Currently, the model of establishing Competence Centre of IBM in Armenia is in the stage of development. The model will represent the participation of both sides in the program. At the same time, IBM has introduced a program on the student’s involvement in the research programs and presently we are discussing the mechanisms of the involvement of students from the Armenian higher educational institutions in the aforesaid program.”

IBM Expands Cloud App Offerings To The Executive Suite (CRN)
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) debuted new cloud-based social media analytics software for chief marketing officers, part of a suite of cloud applications the company is assembling for C-Suite executives. While CIOs and IT managers are often making cloud technology decisions, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is taking the position that C-level executives are increasingly adopting cloud applications for front-office tasks. When line-of-business executives have made those decisions in the past, such as when sales managers subscribe to salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM), they have often made an end-run around the IT department.

IBM to open research centre in Groningen (TelecomPaper)
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is planning a new Service Centre in Groningen. The centre will work together with the city and province, as well as with higher education. It will employ 350 people and provide IT support services to the Netherlands and Flanders. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) will use the centre to advise over IT curriculums and provide internships. It will also work with the University Medical Centre Groningen on projects and research. The cooperation will officially launch on 26 June.