International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Trading 1.8% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) shares were up 1.8% on Wednesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $315.00 to $335.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. International Business Machines traded as high as $309.19 and last traded at $308.6110. Approximately 3,768,813 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 3,643,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at $303.16.

IBM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on International Business Machines from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Friday, November 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $303.38.

Key Stories Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on IBM to $335 and kept a “buy” rating, signaling analyst conviction and giving investors upside to the current price. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory progress in a deal involving Confluent cleared a key U.S. antitrust hurdle tied to an IBM-related transaction, reducing M&A execution risk and supporting strategic growth expectations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Prominent bullish commentary — Jim Cramer called IBM “still very inexpensive,” which can attract value-focused investors and support buying momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM scheduled its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call for Jan 28; results and guidance will likely drive short-term volatility and set the tone for near-term outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and coverage intensity on IBM are rising (TipRanks/Globe & Mail pieces), which may increase trading interest but doesn’t guarantee directional impact. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn expressed bullish macro views on CNBC, which can be supportive for cyclical demand expectations but is an indirect driver for IBM-specific performance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis argued Microsoft has a clearer AI/cloud advantage and stronger growth outlook versus IBM, highlighting competitive pressure that could weigh on IBM’s relative valuation expansion over time. Article Title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Embree Financial Group increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Embree Financial Group now owns 1,646 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Business Machines by 93.5% in the fourth quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,573 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 161,495 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $47,837,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the period. Northwest Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,242 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Park Capital LLC raised its holdings in International Business Machines by 57.0% during the 4th quarter. Congress Park Capital LLC now owns 4,023 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,192,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Trading Up 1.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $288.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.70. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $303.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $282.13.

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

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $1.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.38%.

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.