International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Shares Up 2.6% on Insider Buying Activity

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)’s share price shot up 2.6% during mid-day trading on Monday following insider buying activity. The company traded as high as $316.64 and last traded at $314.5580. 4,547,910 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 4,614,638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $306.70.

Specifically, Director David N. Farr bought 1,000 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $304.00 per share, with a total value of $304,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,814,432. This represents a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 11th. Argus set a $360.00 target price on International Business Machines in a research note on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.07.

International Business Machines News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and execution: coverage notes IBM delivered a robust quarter (beat on EPS and revenue) that investors have rewarded. This underpins the stock’s move higher. IBM Shares Surge on Robust Quarterly Performance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price‑target raises: multiple firms (Stifel, Jefferies, Evercore and others) have reiterated/raised targets and Buy/Outperform views recently, and a price target was raised to $345 — supporting bullish sentiment and higher target consensus. International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Price Target Raised to $345.00
• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum and M&A positioning: coverage highlights accelerating AI revenue and acquisitions that position IBM as a leader in agentic AI and enterprise AI deployments — a core narrative driving multiple buy‑side calls. IBM Shares Pop on Strong AI Growth. Is It Too Late to Buy the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Government / defense contracting wins: IBM landed a UK defence consolidation deal and continues to show sizable federal contract payments — these provide recurring revenue and long‑term backlog visibility. Can IBM’s Lucrative Federal Contracts Boost Its Future Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying: David Farr purchased 1,000 shares recently — a small but positive signal of insider confidence. David Farr Acquires 1,000 Shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Market data & flows: QuiverQuant notes the stock is being actively searched and shows heavy dollar volume and mixed institutional activity (some large adds and large trims). Useful for gauging liquidity and positioning but not a directional catalyst by itself. $IBM stock is up 2% today. Here’s what we see in our data.
• Neutral Sentiment: International revenue and investor attention: Zacks pieces highlight international revenue trends and elevated investor searches — informative for fundamentals and investor interest but not an immediate price driver. Unlocking IBM (IBM) International Revenues: Trends, Surprises, and Prospects
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term tech themes: coverage on quantum computing cites IBM as a key player in moving from lab to real‑world defense/cloud use — positive long term but not an immediate earnings swing. Quantum Computing News: How Defense, IBM, and Wall Street Are Testing Real World Use
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed institutional positioning & at least one sell rating: QuiverQuant flags large portfolio reductions by some institutions (e.g., JPMorgan trim) and a recent UBS sell rating — these pose headwinds if selling persists. $IBM stock is up 2% today. Here’s what we see in our data.

International Business Machines Stock Up 2.6%

The company has a market cap of $294.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company’s fifty day moving average is $302.85 and its 200-day moving average is $283.16.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.33 by $0.19. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.92 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 60.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Family CFO Inc purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, SWAN Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.