Insider Buying: International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Director Acquires 50 Shares of Stock

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) Director Michelle Howard bought 50 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $237.83 per share, with a total value of $11,891.50. Following the purchase, the director owned 194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,139.02. This trade represents a 34.72% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

IBM traded up $8.43 on Wednesday, hitting $237.75. 8,560,548 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,019,047. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $290.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $284.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. International Business Machines Corporation has a 52 week low of $214.50 and a 52 week high of $324.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.24 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.69.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.15% and a net margin of 15.69%.International Business Machines’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.92 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a $1.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on IBM. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore upped their price objective on International Business Machines from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Dbs Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on International Business Machines from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded International Business Machines from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, International Business Machines has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.87.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors raised its position 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 worth $6,523,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,976,756 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in International Business Machines by 83.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,617,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,663,847,000 after buying an additional 2,553,552 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 27,928.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,903,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $561,001,000 after buying an additional 1,896,326 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

More International Business Machines News

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

• Positive Sentiment: IBM won a new government contract — a potential multi-year revenue stream worth up to $112M to modernize electronic shelf labels for the Defense Commissary Agency, reinforcing recurring infrastructure and services revenue. IBM Awarded Defense Commissary Agency Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Directors bought shares on Feb. 25 — Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares (SEC filing) and director Michelle J. Howard acquired 50 shares, signaling insider confidence after the recent volatility. Miebach SEC Filing Howard SEC Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and outlets are calling the steep selloff an overreaction and pitching a buy-the-dip case, pointing to strong Q4 results, record free cash flow and durable mainframe/moat characteristics. That defense has helped stabilize the stock. IBM’s Steep Drop on AI Fears May Be an Overreaction
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS moved IBM from “Sell” to “Neutral” — the change reduces immediate sell-side pressure but is not a bullish upgrade; UBS kept a cautious price target near current levels. IBM no longer a Sell, says UBS as analysts upgrade stock
• Neutral Sentiment: High volatility and heavy volume remain in play — the earlier, rapid re-pricing has created deep analyst divergence and larger-than-normal trading ranges, which can amplify both rebounds and pullbacks. Are the Best Days Over for IBM Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: AI startup Anthropic’s Claude Code announcement triggered fears it could automate COBOL modernization — a perceived threat to IBM’s legacy mainframe/consulting revenue — which caused a sharp, multi-day selloff (the original catalyst for the recent 13% single-day plunge). That narrative still clouds sentiment. IBM posts steepest daily drop after Anthropic says AI can modernize COBOL
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target (and reiterates an “equal weight” stance), reflecting lower upside from prior levels and contributing to mixed analyst signals. Morgan Stanley cuts price target

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.