IBM Stock: Slides Even as Analysts Raise Targets Ahead of Earnings

International Business Machines Corporation, IBM

Full-year estimates point to $11 per share for fiscal 2025 and $12 per share for 2026. The company topped Wall Street expectations in its previous quarter, reporting $2.65 earnings per share against the $2.45 consensus.

Revenue came in at $16.33 billion last quarter, beating the $16.10 billion estimate. That marked a 9.1% jump year-over-year. Net margin reached 12.09% with return on equity at 37.76%.

Shares opened Wednesday at $291.11, reflecting a 4.8% pullback from recent levels. The stock ranges between a 52-week low of $214.50 and high of $324.90.

IBMs market capitalization stands at $272.11 billion. The company trades at a P/E ratio of 34.82 with a P/E/G ratio of 2.96. Beta sits at 0.70, indicating lower volatility than the broader market.

Financial metrics show a current ratio of 0.93 and quick ratio of 0.89. The debt-to-equity ratio registers at 1.97. Moving averages place the 50-day at $302.94 and 200-day at $282.50.

Institutional Activity and Analyst Outlook

Major institutional players have been building positions. Amundi expanded its holdings by 17.9% during Q3, now controlling 4.77 million shares valued at $1.38 billion.

Raymond James Financial increased its stake by 3.6% in Q2 to 3.09 million shares worth $912 million. AQR Capital Management grew holdings by 15.9% to 1.09 million shares at $310 million. California State Teachers Retirement System added 0.6% to reach 1.47 million shares.

Institutional investors collectively own 58.96% of outstanding shares.

Analyst opinions remain mixed heading into earnings. Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $300 to $350 with an “outperform” rating. Evercore ISI bumped its target to $330 from $315, adding the stock to its “Tactical Outperform list.”

Wall Street Zen downgraded from “buy” to “hold” on January 11. UBS Group holds a “sell” rating while Sanford C. Bernstein maintains “market perform.” DBS Bank upgraded from “Hold” to “Moderate Buy” on improving fundamentals.

The consensus lands at “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $305.29. Rating distribution shows one “Strong Buy,” twelve “Buy” ratings, five “Hold” ratings, and one “Sell.”

Enterprise AI Investments Accelerate

IBM rolled out Enterprise Advantage, an asset-based consulting service helping clients deploy agentic AI platforms. The offering connects to watsonx platform demand and creates new revenue streams.

A partnership with telecom operator e& brings enterprise-grade agentic AI to governance and compliance through watsonx Orchestrate. The deployment targets regulated industries requiring large-scale AI implementations.

IBM continues cross-industry watsonx marketing, including a collaboration with the Recording Academy for Grammy Awards initiatives. These efforts expand brand visibility across sectors.

Evercore ISI expects the company to meet or slightly exceed consensus estimates, driven by Infrastructure performance and Consulting improvements. For 2026, analysts anticipate guidance at the lower end of the mid-single-digit growth range with approximately $15 billion in free cash flow.

The stock traded on elevated volume recently as investors took profits despite positive company developments. Some analysts flag stretched valuation multiples while others see room for upside based on AI momentum.

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