IT News: Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO)’s Tempered Outlook, Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ)’s Challenges & International Business Machines Corp. (IBM)

International Business Machines Corp. Hits New 52-Week Low at $184.07 (IBM) (Zolmax)
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) set a new 52-week low during trading hours on Monday, StockRatingsNetwork.com reports. The company traded as low as $184.07 and last traded at $184.27, with a volume of 2,218,831 shares. The stock had previously closed at $185.34. Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Analysts at TheStreet reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines Corp.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) Has a Layoff Strategy (Jilard)
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) has announced that his company has set up planned layoffs for four thousand employees. The date of the layoffs, or dates, has not been provided yet. John Chambers, the CEO and the man who makes final decisions for this organization, said that there is “method to this madness.” The layoffs, according to Mr. Chambers, will free up resources (money) for Cicso Systems’ growing segments and for future acquisitions, as well.

Hewlett-Packard Price Target Increased to $27.00 by Analysts at RBC Capital (HPQ) (DailyPolitical)
Equities research analysts at RBC Capital hoisted their price objective on shares of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, American Banking and Market News reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the stock. RBC Capital’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.33% from the stock’s previous close. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) traded down 2.04% during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $25.88. The stock had a trading volume of 11,789,019 shares. Hewlett-Packard has a 52 week low of $11.35 and a 52 week high of $27.78.

IBM Becomes First Company Certified Under APEC Cross-Border Data Rules (BNA)
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) has become the first company to be certified under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System, the information technology and services giant announced in an Aug. 12 statement. The CBPR System is designed to protect the privacy of consumer data moving between the United States and other APEC member economies by requiring companies to develop their own internal business rules on cross-border privacy procedures.