International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) Stock Price Up 2.8% – Here’s What Happened

19 Mar 2026, 20:46 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM – Get Free Report) traded up 2.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $256.39 and last traded at $256.2760. 5,027,217 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 6,034,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $249.25.

More International Business Machines News

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

Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer commentary and renewed retail interest have supported buying interest in IBM, highlighting fundamentals and IBM’s positioning in quantum/data center opportunities. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: IBM closed its $11B Confluent acquisition, adding real‑time data streaming to its stack to support AI workflows — a strategic move that could boost hybrid/AI software revenue if integration goes smoothly. Article Title
Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and go‑to‑market moves (expanded collaboration with Nvidia and a consulting tie‑up with The Hackett Group) reinforce IBM’s push to help customers deploy AI at scale, supporting longer‑term revenue opportunity. Article Title Article Title
Neutral Sentiment: IBM research prestige: IBM Fellow Charles H. Bennett received the A.M. Turing Award — a reputational positive for IBM Research but unlikely to move near‑term financials. Article Title
Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~88,456 IBM put contracts (≈115% above average daily put volume), signaling elevated bearish bets or downside hedging that can pressure shares.
Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/target cuts: JPMorgan cut its target to $283 (Neutral) after the Confluent deal, and BMO lowered its target to $290 with a Market Perform — both trims suggest analysts see balanced risk/reward and reduce near‑term upside expectations. Article Title Article Title
Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary and valuation pieces note recent negative momentum and short‑term returns weakness, which can keep sentiment muted while investors assess integration risk and near‑term margins. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Erste Group Bank cut International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. DZ Bank raised International Business Machines to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $380.00 target price on International Business Machines and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $314.60.

View Our Latest Research Report on International Business Machines

International Business Machines Stock Performance

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 has a market capitalization of $234.53 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $284.72.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.33 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $19.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.23 billion. International Business Machines had a net margin of 15.69% and a return on equity of 38.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that International Business Machines Corporation will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $1.68 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $6.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David N. Farr acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the acquisition, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Miebach acquired 434 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $233.33 per share, for a total transaction of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 1,484 shares of company stock worth $417,157 in the last 90 days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Business Machines

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBM. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 97,216,131 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,796,390,000 after buying an additional 1,439,824 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in International Business Machines by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,996,293 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $16,290,452,000 after buying an additional 518,321 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in International Business Machines by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 22,605,083 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,679,105,000 after acquiring an additional 336,069 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,976,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines in the 4th quarter valued at $2,446,429,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

About International Business Machines

(Get Free Report)

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.