Wall Street Zen Upgrades International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) to Hold

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $288.00 to $262.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of International Business Machines to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on International Business Machines from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 24th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.40.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE:IBM opened at $235.78 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $244.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $248.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.70. International Business Machines has a 12-month low of $199.19 and a 12-month high of $332.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The technology company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 35.65% and a net margin of 15.52%.The company had revenue of $17.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total transaction of $5,758,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 47,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,009,296. This represents a 34.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its position in shares of International Business Machines by 424.6% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 260,740 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $77,234,000 after purchasing an additional 211,040 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 24.8% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 64,458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $15,624,000 after purchasing an additional 12,791 shares in the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA raised its position in shares of International Business Machines by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 18,288 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,930 shares during the last quarter. Rice Partnership LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,317,000. Finally, Sage Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,101,000. 58.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM’s reported dual-architecture 2-nanometer mainframe processor, designed to run IBM and Arm workloads on the same core, strengthens its infrastructure strategy and could broaden demand among enterprise customers. The company also advanced modular cryogenic quantum systems and applied AI experiences, reinforcing its effort to connect mainframe, AI and quantum technologies. Is IBM’s Dual-Architecture 2nm Mainframe Reshaping The Investment Case for IBM?
• Positive Sentiment: Quantum computing’s potential to undermine current encryption is expected to drive post-quantum cybersecurity spending through 2030. IBM is identified as one of the companies positioned to benefit from that long-term demand. Quantum Computing Is Raising the Stakes for Cybersecurity: 5 Stocks to Watch
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary remains constructive on IBM’s valuation and income profile, suggesting investors may be willing to hold the stock while waiting for stronger growth from AI and infrastructure investments. IBM: Get Paid To Wait For Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM’s US Open fan activations and sports-focused AI research increase visibility for its AI and cloud capabilities, but the marketing initiatives are unlikely to materially change near-term financial results. IBM Brings AI-Powered US Open Fan Experience Back to Madison Square Park
• Negative Sentiment: A securities law firm announced an investigation into whether IBM may have misled investors following a significant stock decline. The notice is an investor solicitation and provides no established finding of misconduct, but it adds legal and reputational uncertainty. Investor Notice: IBM Investigated for Potentially Misleading Investors
• Negative Sentiment: IBM’s latest quarterly revenue came in below analysts’ expectations, tempering enthusiasm around its growth outlook even though earnings per share matched consensus. This keeps execution and monetization of its AI initiatives as key investor concerns.

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.