International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Target Raised at Robert W. Baird

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $230.00 to $260.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the technology company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.72% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday. Argus lowered their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $360.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $270.00 to $230.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.36.

International Business Machines Price Performance

NYSE IBM opened at $250.67 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $232.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $243.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The company has a market cap of $236.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.73. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $199.19 and a 1 year high of $332.46.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The technology company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.52% and a return on equity of 35.65%. The company had revenue of $17.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that International Business Machines will post 12.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert Thomas sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.32, for a total value of $5,758,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly 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 can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Ledyard National Bank raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1.1% during the third quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 15,757 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,465,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 66.3% during the third quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,159 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,658 shares during the last quarter. Boothe Investment Group Inc. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 11.9% in the third quarter. Boothe Investment Group Inc. now owns 11,632 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. JSF Financial LLC grew its stake in International Business Machines by 21.8% in the third quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 1,359 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in International Business Machines by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 85,376 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $18,777,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations. IBM reported adjusted earnings of $2.95 per share versus the $2.85 consensus and revenue of $17.1 billion versus estimates of $16.82 billion. Revenue increased 4.7% year over year, while net income rose to $2.2 billion. IBM beats on top and bottom lines
• Positive Sentiment: Software and infrastructure returned to growth. Software revenue rose about 8% to $7.8 billion and infrastructure revenue increased 4% to $3.7 billion, suggesting delayed customer deals began closing. IBM also raised its full-year software outlook. IBM raises annual software revenue outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Cash-flow expectations improved. IBM raised its full-year free-cash-flow outlook, expecting growth of more than $1 billion from the prior year. Quarterly free cash flow reached $3.0 billion, up approximately $700 million year over year. The board also declared a $1.69 quarterly dividend, equivalent to $6.76 annually and a yield of roughly 2.7%. IBM Q3 revenue rises to $17.1 billion
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM maintained its forecast for full-year constant-currency revenue growth of 4% to 5%, indicating improving execution but not a major acceleration in overall growth.
• Negative Sentiment: AI commentary triggered the reversal. CEO Arvind Krishna said open-weight AI models can deliver roughly 90% of frontier-model performance at about 10% of the cost. Investors interpreted the comments as evidence that AI capabilities may become commoditized, potentially limiting pricing power and returns across the AI ecosystem. IBM CEO discusses open AI models
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were also unsettled by a narrower-than-expected gross margin and the possibility that strong headline results do not translate into faster earnings growth. Shares therefore reversed their initial post-earnings increase and traded lower in premarket activity. IBM earnings reversal

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM), commonly known as IBM, is a global technology and consulting company that helps organizations modernize their information technology and business operations. Its offerings include hybrid cloud solutions, artificial intelligence software and services, enterprise software, IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, data analytics, and technology consulting.

IBM provides products and services to businesses, governments, and other institutions across industries and regions worldwide.