International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 2.1% Following Analyst Upgrade

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) shares rose 2.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $290.00 to $312.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. International Business Machines traded as high as $297.67 and last traded at $297.5090. Approximately 5,157,603 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 16% from the average daily volume of 4,433,935 shares. The stock had previously closed at $291.35.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, November 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $360.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $256.00 to $252.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of International Business Machines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $306.86.

International Business Machines News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target for IBM from $290 to $312, signaling more upside potential even as the firm keeps a “neutral” rating — this boosts short-term sentiment around the stock. IBM price target raised by JPMorgan (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank upgraded IBM from “hold” to “moderate buy,” adding another buy-side nod that can support momentum and flows into the shares. International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Dbs Bank
• Positive Sentiment: IBM unveiled and is pushing a new enterprise AI platform (watsonx) aimed at accelerating sales to large customers — product launches and clearer go-to-market messaging can justify premium multiples if adoption accelerates. What International Business Machines (IBM)’s New Enterprise AI Platform Push Means For Shareholders (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and use-cases are expanding: IBM announced an agentic AI collaboration with e& to target compliance/risk use cases, and launched watsonx-based digital experiences with the Recording Academy — both extend addressable market and showcase customer traction. Can IBM’s Agentic AI Collaboration With e& Boost Its Global Lead? (Zacks) IBM and the Recording Academy Release watsonx Digital Experiences (PR Newswire)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and commentary pieces are framing IBM as an AI growth story rather than a legacy hardware name, which supports a re-rating narrative if execution continues. IBM Was ‘Boring’ – It’s Now An AI Growth Machine (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Arvind Krishna discussed absorbing tariffs rather than passing them to clients, underscoring a client-first stance but with modest margin implications — supportive for customer relations but neutral for near-term margins. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna interview (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators and an investment committee highlighted IBM as a top watch for H2; useful for sentiment but not a substitute for earnings and guidance. Final Trades: IBM, Alibaba, Nu Holdings and the IYH (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews note the Jan. 28 Q4 earnings date — AI and z17 mainframe cycle expectations could be the main drivers of post-earnings movement. Mark Your Calendars for January 28 (Barchart)
• Negative Sentiment: IBM suffered a notable one-day drop recently, signaling short-term volatility and profit-taking ahead of earnings. IBM Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and articles flag a premium valuation and stiff competition; if AI revenue growth slows or guidance disappoints, the stock could reprice quickly. Q4 Earnings Loom: Buy, Sell or Hold? (Zacks)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. SWAN Capital LLC bought a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 85.0% during the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 111 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.1%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $302.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $282.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.59, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.70.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The technology company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.20. International Business Machines had a net margin of 12.09% and a return on equity of 37.76%. The business had revenue of $16.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a global technology and consulting company headquartered in Armonk, New York. Founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and renamed IBM in 1924, the company has evolved from early electromechanical machines to a diversified technology provider serving enterprises and governments worldwide. IBM is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IBM.

IBM’s principal businesses encompass cloud computing and software, infrastructure and systems, consulting and technology services, and research and development.