International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) Receives $309.63 Average Target Price from Analysts

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $303.8750.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on IBM shares. UBS Group raised International Business Machines from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $350.00 to $290.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM rolled out new AI‑era cybersecurity offerings (Autonomous Security and other tools) aimed at countering agentic/AI-powered attacks — a timely product launch that can drive near‑term sales and investor excitement. IBM Announces New Cybersecurity Measures
• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy and a $285 target (reported by Blockonomi), highlighting upside tied to IBM’s AI/security roadmap — this fresh bullish analyst stance likely lifted investor appetite. International Business Machines (IBM) Stock Receives Citi Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded R&D collaborations — IBM is enlarging its Discovery Accelerator with the University of Illinois for AI + quantum work and promoted quantum use in healthcare (Q4Bio prize/co‑research) — these partnerships underpin longer‑term leadership in enterprise AI/quantum. IBM and the University of Illinois Expand Discovery Accelerator
• Positive Sentiment: IBM Quantum activity — the firm and partners won Q4Bio recognition for quantum algorithms in healthcare, reinforcing commercial/academic momentum that supports long‑term growth narratives. How IBM Quantum is Enabling Healthcare and Biology Research
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and client engagements — IBM announced collaborations (e.g., with GNQ Insilico) to accelerate clinical AI adoption and earlier press noted Arm alliance work on enterprise AI hardware, both supportive of enterprise AI revenue growth. GNQ Insilico Plans to Accelerate Precision Medicine
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is mixed — some outlets and analyst pieces frame IBM as well‑positioned to beat near‑term EPS while others caution valuation is already elevated; these narratives can produce volatility into earnings. Analysts Conflicted on These Technology Names
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and estimate risk — analyst notes (Zacks and others) warn of a premium valuation and some downward EPS revisions despite product momentum; with Q1 earnings due, elevated expectations could lead to profit‑taking if results or guidance disappoint. IBM Stock Before Q1 Earnings

Insider Activity at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David N. Farr purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,814,432. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth about $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,021,912 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,523,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,976,756 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 83.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,617,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,663,847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,553,552 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 359.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,896,675 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $561,814,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,026 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,216,131 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,796,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,439,824 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Business Machines Trading Up 2.4%

IBM opened at $250.78 on Tuesday. International Business Machines has a fifty-two week low of $220.72 and a fifty-two week high of $324.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $249.94 and its 200 day moving average is $282.10.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.33 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $1.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.27%.

About International Business Machines

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.