Skip to main content
IBMInternational Business MachinesSell5.1·$234.75-1.01%
SellModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

The company combines peer-leading margins and excellent free cash flow conversion with approximately 21% upside to the price target at a favorable risk/reward ratio, but negative price momentum — the stock is below its long-term moving average — keeps the setup in a wait-and-watch posture until technical trend stabilizes.

Thesis pillars

  • Dual Concentration RiskImproving
  • Peer Leading Quality Fcf ConversionStable
  • Material Upside Favorable Risk RewardStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

International Business Machines (IBM) Stock Analysis

Recovery setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 1/5ValueModerate Confidence

Technology · Information Technology Services

Sell if holding. At $234.75, A.R:R is negative (-0.4) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Geographic: outside United States (60.0%); Concentration risk — Supplier: server processor technology suppliers.

IBM provides hybrid cloud and AI technology through four segments — Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing — across more than 175 countries. Revenue comes from software licenses and subscriptions, consulting and professional services, infrastructure hardware and... Read more

$234.75-6.2% A.UpsideScore 5.1/10#40 of 47 Information Technology Services
QualityF-score6 / 9FCF yield5.39%
IncomeYield2.86%(5y avg 3.85%)Payout59.77%sustainable
Stop $219.96Target $269.47(default +15%)A.R:R -0.4:1
Analyst target$244.16+4.0%23 analysts
$269.47our TP
$234.75price
$244.16mean
$174
$350

Sell if holding. At $234.75, A.R:R is negative (-0.4) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Geographic: outside United States (60.0%); Concentration risk — Supplier: server processor technology suppliers. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 71. Score 5.1/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, earnings proximity 68d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: moderate.

10-K grounded · weekly refresh

About International Business Machines

About International Business Machines

IBM's four segments — Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing — span operations in over 175 countries, with about 60 percent of revenues derived from outside the United States. Established in 1911 and headquartered in Armonk, New York, IBM focuses on hybrid cloud and AI technology, forming strategic partnerships with Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks, Salesforce, Samsung Electronics, and SAP.

The Software segment generates recurring revenue from hybrid cloud and open-source middleware, data management platforms, and AI tooling, competing against Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, and Broadcom. The Consulting segment integrates strategy, experience design, technology, and operations expertise for business transformation, competing against Accenture, Capgemini, India-based service providers, and management consulting firms. Infrastructure provides on-premises and cloud-based server and storage solutions for mission-critical and AI workloads, competing against Dell Technologies, HPE, Intel, NetApp, and Pure Storage. Financing facilitates client acquisition of IBM hardware, software, and services through captive lending, differentiating on credit and residual-value risk management. Certain businesses rely on a single or a limited number of suppliers for server processor technology for certain semiconductors — changes in those suppliers' business condition could affect product delivery.

Show full overview

IBM's 10-K identifies that government clients spanning U.S. federal, state, local, and international entities hold termination-for-convenience rights in some contracts, and suspension or debarment from government contracting is a named risk that could impair revenue and reputation. The OECD global minimum tax model rules, now adopted locally across multiple jurisdictions, may increase IBM's tax uncertainty and adversely affect income taxes. Separately, certain open-source components incorporated in IBM offerings may lose independent community maintenance, creating product-delivery risk the company's own engineering cannot fully control.

See also: Technology · Information Technology Services

From International Business Machines's most recent 10-K filing, extracted June 10, 2026.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-08-15
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Wed, Oct 21, 202668d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Strong earnings beat streak (3/4)
Positive insider activity
Risks
Concentration risk — Geographic: outside United States (60.0%)
Concentration risk — Supplier: server processor technology suppliers
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)21.0
P/E (Fwd)18.0
Mkt Cap$223.4B
EV/EBITDA17.0
Profit Mgn15.5%
ROE34.5%
Rev Growth1.1%
Beta0.70
Dividend2.86%
Rating analysts31

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C0.79neutral
IV41%normal

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHGeographicoutside United States60%
    10-K Item 1A: 'deriving about sixty percent of its revenues from sales outside the United States'
  • HIGHSupplierserver processor technology suppliers
    10-K Item 1A: 'Certain of the company's businesses rely on a single or a limited number of suppliers, including for server processor technology for certain semiconductors'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Show full disclosure ▾

About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

Not investment advice. TrendMatrix is not a registered investment adviser. Our content is for informational and educational purposes only. Consult your own licensed investment adviser, broker, or tax professional before making any investment decision.

Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.

No paid promotion. TrendMatrix does not accept payment from any issuer, broker, or third party in exchange for coverage of any security. Our sole compensation is subscription revenue.

No fiduciary duty. No fiduciary, advisory, or agency relationship is created between you and TrendMatrix by reading our content or subscribing to our service.

Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Earnings Growth
1.6
Revenue Growth
2.8

Technicals below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Support Resistance
1.7
Bollinger
2.9
52w Position
4.2

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Growth Rank
2.1
Value Rank
2.9
Quality Rank
8.5
Superior ROE vs peersBest-in-class margins
GatesMomentum 4.4<4.5A.R:R -0.4=NEGATIVEDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsEARNINGS PROXIMITY 68d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRecoverySuitability: Moderate
RSI
71 · Overbought
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $197.77Resistance $241.80

Price Targets

$220
$269
A.Upside-6.2%
A.R:R-0.4:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-6.2% upside)
! momentum at 4.4 (below the engine's 4.5 threshold)
! Negative risk/reward — downside exceeds upside

Earnings

B
B
B
M
3/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-10-21 (68d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IBM stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. At $234.75, A.R:R is negative (-0.4) — price has exceeded the analyst target. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Concentration risk — Geographic: outside United States (60.0%); Concentration risk — Supplier: server processor technology suppliers. Chart setup: Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 71. Prior stop was $219.96. Score 5.1/10, moderate confidence.

What is the IBM stock price target?

Take-profit target: $269.47 (-6.2% upside). Prior stop was $219.96. Stop-loss: $219.96.

What are the risks of investing in IBM?

Concentration risk — Geographic: outside United States (60.0%); Concentration risk — Supplier: server processor technology suppliers; Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining.

Is IBM overvalued or undervalued?

International Business Machines trades at a P/E of 21.0 (forward 18.0). TrendMatrix value score: 5.2/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about IBM?

31 analysts cover IBM with a consensus score of 3.7/5. Average price target: $244.

What does International Business Machines do?IBM provides hybrid cloud and AI technology through four segments — Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing...

IBM provides hybrid cloud and AI technology through four segments — Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing — across more than 175 countries. Revenue comes from software licenses and subscriptions, consulting and professional services, infrastructure hardware and support, and client financing. About 60 percent of revenues derive from outside the United States.

Related stocks: FIS (Fidelity National Information S) · CTSH (Cognizant Technology Solutions ) · ACN (Accenture plc) · INFY (Infosys Limited)
Home Stocks IBM

Latest news

Latest News

WSJ24d agoEarnings
Barron's24d agoEarnings
WSJ24d agoEarnings
Yahoo Finance24d ago
Barron's24d ago
CNBC24d agoEarnings
Yahoo Finance24d ago
CNBC24d agoEarnings
Barron's24d agoEarnings
MarketBeat115d ago
Investor's Business Daily115d agoEarnings
WSJ115d agoEarnings
Yahoo Finance115d agoEarnings
Seeking Alpha115d agoEarnings
Quiver Quantitative115d agoEarnings
CNBC115d ago
Barron's115d agoEarnings
Simplywall.st115d ago
MarketBeat87d ago
Benzinga87d ago
Loading more...