International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Up 1.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) rose 1.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $264.66 and last traded at $262.3280. Approximately 6,785,198 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 25% from the average daily volume of 5,421,600 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.52.

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM says it will triple U.S. entry-level hiring in 2026, recasting junior roles for the AI era — a sign management is investing in talent to scale AI initiatives and support growth despite automation risk. IBM tripling Gen Z hiring
• Positive Sentiment: Confluent shareholders approved the merger agreement with an IBM subsidiary, clearing a regulatory/transactional hurdle that supports IBM’s data-streaming and hybrid cloud strategy if the deal closes. Confluent shareholders approve IBM acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Product/technology updates — IBM highlighted AI-related enhancements to FlashSystem storage and QRadar security, reinforcing its enterprise storage/security positioning that supports recurring revenue and cross-sell into large customers. IBM AI FlashSystem And QRadar Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: IBM has been a trending stock on retail news sites and equity screens — heightened attention can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t imply fundamental change on its own. Zacks trending stock note
• Neutral Sentiment: Small institutional portfolio moves: Advisors Asset Management disclosed a modest trimming of IBM (~-20.9k shares in the 12/31/25 13F update) — routine reweights can add volume but aren’t necessarily a directional signal. Quiver Quant fund update
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought a large block of put options (56,108 contracts, ~+42% vs. average), signaling elevated hedging or directional bearish bets that can amplify downside moves. (No article link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Short-seller criticism: veteran short seller Jim Chanos publicly called IBM “an AI risk, not an AI leader,” arguing market expectations for IBM’s AI leadership may be overstated — this negative publicity could pressure sentiment and invite further sell-side scrutiny. Chanos calls IBM an AI risk

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IBM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $312.00 to $317.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.07.

International Business Machines Stock Up 1.1%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $299.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $245.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.The company’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.92 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. This represents a $6.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Business Machines

In other International Business Machines news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $304.00 per share, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,814,432. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in International Business Machines by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 22,021,912 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,523,720,000 after buying an additional 4,976,756 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in International Business Machines by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,051,475 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,019,274,000 after buying an additional 1,913,708 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 27,928.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,903,116 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $561,001,000 after buying an additional 1,896,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,582,818 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,357,478,000 after acquiring an additional 954,879 shares in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.