Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for IBM Earnings

International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for International Business Machines in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 25th. Zacks Research analyst S. Bose now forecasts that the technology company will post earnings per share of $4.12 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $4.14. The consensus estimate for International Business Machines’ current full-year earnings is $10.78 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for International Business Machines’ Q4 2026 earnings at $3.97 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $11.30 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.88 EPS.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 38.99%.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of International Business Machines in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of International Business Machines from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IBM opened at $246.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $249.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.42, a PEG ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 0.74. International Business Machines has a 52 week low of $162.62 and a 52 week high of $266.45.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Business Machines

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. United Bank lifted its position in International Business Machines by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 5,628 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,244,000 after buying an additional 1,956 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 23,700.0% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 238 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in International Business Machines by 6.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,195,933 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,148,717,000 after purchasing an additional 294,276 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the third quarter valued at about $4,355,000. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in International Business Machines by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 17,288 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,822,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at International Business Machines

In other news, SVP Robert David Thomas sold 26,543 shares of International Business Machines stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.01, for a total transaction of $6,715,644.43. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 45,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,387,221.07. The trade was a 37.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $1.67 dividend. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 104.21%.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.