International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its target price raised by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $250.00 to $269.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the technology company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.46% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus lowered their price target on International Business Machines from $360.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citic Securities increased their price target on International Business Machines from $294.00 to $297.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America cut their price objective on International Business Machines from $330.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price objective on International Business Machines from $247.00 to $217.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.52.

International Business Machines Trading Down 3.2%

NYSE IBM traded down $7.93 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $243.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,222,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,442,195. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 52-week low of $199.19 and a 52-week high of $332.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $243.60.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The technology company reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.85 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.52% and a return on equity of 35.65%. The company had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 12.34 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Business Machines news, SVP Robert Thomas sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total value of $5,758,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 47,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,009,296. This represents a 34.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ledyard National Bank grew its stake in International Business Machines by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 15,757 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,465,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 66.3% during the 3rd quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,159 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. Boothe Investment Group Inc. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 11.9% during the third quarter. Boothe Investment Group Inc. now owns 11,632 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,558,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. JSF Financial LLC grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 21.8% during the third quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 1,359 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 1.5% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 85,376 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $18,777,000 after buying an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More International Business Machines News

Here are the key news stories impacting International Business Machines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IBM reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.95 per share and revenue of $17.10 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of approximately $2.85–$2.88 per share and $16.82 billion in revenue. Revenue increased 4.7% year over year, while net income rose to $2.2 billion. IBM Releases Third-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was led by software, up 8% to $7.8 billion, and infrastructure, up 4% to $3.7 billion. IBM also raised its full-year free-cash-flow outlook, expecting growth of more than $1 billion from the prior year, and raised its annual software revenue outlook as delayed deals began to close. IBM Raises Annual Software Revenue Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its IBM price target from $235 to $260 and maintained a Buy rating. Robert W. Baird also lifted its target to $260, although it retained a Neutral rating.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM declared a quarterly dividend of $1.69 per share, equivalent to a $6.76 annualized payout and an indicated yield of about 2.7%.
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM expanded its AI-powered fan-experience features with Scuderia Ferrari HP ahead of the United States Grand Prix, providing additional product visibility but likely limited near-term financial impact. IBM and Scuderia Ferrari HP Expand AI-Powered Fan Experience
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Arvind Krishna’s comments that open-weight AI models can deliver roughly 90% of frontier-model performance at about 10% of the cost raised concern that customers may not spend aggressively on premium AI infrastructure and services. That caution overshadowed the earnings beat and pressured other AI-related technology shares.
• Negative Sentiment: IBM kept its full-year constant-currency revenue-growth outlook at 4%–5%, while management acknowledged a narrower-than-expected gross margin. Investors also remain sensitive to the company’s previous-quarter earnings disappointment and the risk that AI enthusiasm may not translate into rapid revenue growth.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM), commonly known as IBM, is a global technology and consulting company that helps organizations modernize their information technology and business operations. Its offerings include hybrid cloud solutions, artificial intelligence software and services, enterprise software, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, data analytics, and technology consulting.

IBM provides products and services to businesses, governments, and other institutions across industries and regions worldwide.