Wedbush Reaffirms Outperform Rating for International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM)

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by Wedbush in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $340.00 price objective on the technology company’s stock. Wedbush’s price target points to a potential upside of 34.12% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on IBM. DZ Bank raised International Business Machines to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Erste Group Bank cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $301.94.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of IBM opened at $253.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.69. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $220.72 and a 1 year high of $324.90. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $249.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that International Business Machines will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In related news, Director David N. Farr purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 434 shares in the company, valued at $101,265.22. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157 in the last 90 days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Foster Group Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,507 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. now owns 905 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in International Business Machines by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,693 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,878,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and raised its $340 price target, signaling strong analyst conviction that IBM’s AI/hybrid-cloud strategy can drive upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush/Dan Ives and other analysts are bullish on enterprise AI adoption — Ives specifically sees ~35% upside as customers move from AI pilots to large-scale deployments, supporting near-term revenue/earnings growth expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts broadly expect IBM to beat Q1 estimates; consensus previews highlight AI, hybrid cloud, automation and cybersecurity strength as the drivers to watch in the April 22 report. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM expanded the Illinois Discovery Accelerator with U. of Illinois to develop quantum-centric supercomputing (AI + quantum + HPC), reinforcing IBM’s positioning in next-gen computing that could open new enterprise contracts. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Real-world quantum/AI deployments in healthcare (Q4Bio finalists, partnerships like GNQ Insilico) showcase early commercial traction for IBM Quantum and healthcare-focused AI services — potential long-term revenue lift if deployments scale. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IBM rolled out new cybersecurity tools aimed at AI-powered attacks, addressing a fast-growing enterprise need and reinforcing cross-selling opportunities into existing clients. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other previews note IBM’s strategic moves (Confluent acquisition, AI partnerships) but warn premium valuation and slipping EPS estimates are headwinds to consider — mixed implications for risk/return. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand commentary (e.g., PYMNTS piece on legacy purchasing behavior) is informational about buyer psychology rather than an immediate stock catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The DOJ brought a novel false-claims action tied to diversity practices — an emerging legal/regulatory risk that could create reputational and financial uncertainty if it escalates. Read More.

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.