International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 1.8% – Time to Buy?

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)’s share price shot up 1.8% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $220.96 and last traded at $218.4010. 5,624,401 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 5,981,167 shares. The stock had previously closed at $214.64.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM introduced new cloud services — Red Hat AI Inference and OpenShift Virtualization — aimed at speeding enterprise AI adoption and secure virtual workload deployment, reinforcing its growth narrative in AI and cloud. IBM’s New AI Units And Services Reshape Enterprise Consulting Story
• Positive Sentiment: IBM is rolling out a new delivery model for consulting that uses senior-led teams and AI agents to turn enterprise strategy into execution faster, which could support services revenue and margins. A New Way to Make AI Actually Work in the Real World
• Positive Sentiment: OnQ said it has integrated IBM AS/400 systems into its Converge platform, a partnership that highlights IBM’s continued relevance in retail infrastructure and real-time inventory applications. OnQ Integrates IBM AS/400 into its Converge Platform, Bringing Real-Time Inventory to In-Store Retail Experiences
• Neutral Sentiment: One article said IBM shareholders may not see immediate upside after the Think 2026 event, even though analyst price targets still imply meaningful longer-term potential. No Upside For International Business Machines (IBM) Shareholders Post IBM Think 2026 Event
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent writeups are mainly valuation and recovery discussions, noting IBM remains well below prior highs and may be attractive to long-term investors, but they do not point to a clear near-term catalyst. IBM: The Business Improved Faster Than Many Investors Realize
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame IBM as a stock that has pulled back significantly from recent highs, which can weigh on sentiment despite the company’s operational progress. Catching Falling Knives: Is It Time to Buy These Beaten-Down Stocks?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on IBM. 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 note on Wednesday, February 25th. Erste Group Bank downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on International Business Machines from $340.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded International Business Machines from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.41.

International Business Machines Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $240.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.05. The company has a market cap of $206.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.58.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The company had revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that International Business Machines Corporation will post 12.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.69 per share. This represents a $6.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is presently 59.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael Miebach bought 434 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 directly owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IBM. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in International Business Machines by 3.3% in the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 993,743 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $280,439,000 after purchasing an additional 32,072 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in International Business Machines by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 13,122 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,887,000 after purchasing an additional 3,029 shares in the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 114,395 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,278,000 after acquiring an additional 38,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 347,155 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $97,953,000 after acquiring an additional 12,623 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.