On Friday, Bernstein analysts increased the price target for IBM (NYSE:IBM) shares to $215 from the previous $210, while maintaining a Market Perform rating on the stock. The adjustment follows recognition of IBM’s efforts under CEO Arvind (NS:ARVN) Krishna to enhance the company’s portfolio and improve its fundamental growth rate.
According to InvestingPro data, IBM, currently valued at over $203 billion, is trading at elevated multiples compared to historical levels, suggesting the stock may be overvalued at current prices.
The analysts commended IBM for its strategic improvements and the positive outlook for the year 2025, citing the potential boost from a new mainframe cycle and the benefits from recent acquisitions. The company’s strong fundamentals are evidenced by its impressive 29-year streak of dividend increases and current 3% yield.
Despite these positive developments, the analysts noted that IBM’s stock valuation has significantly increased to a point where it seems fully valued based on a sum-of-the-parts (SOTP) analysis and when compared to its main competitors. Discover more valuable insights about IBM and 1,400+ other stocks with InvestingPro’s comprehensive research reports.
Bernstein also pointed out potential short-term challenges for IBM, including the expectation of modest performance in the fourth quarter of the previous year and the first quarter of the current year. This outlook is partly due to weaker consulting bookings and delays in the HashiCorp (NASDAQ:HCP) partnership deal, along with the anticipation of a new mainframe release not occurring until the second quarter.
The analysts concluded that, given these factors, the risk-reward balance for IBM stock is relatively neutral at this time, which justifies the Market Perform rating. They believe that while the company’s long-term prospects appear robust, with the stock delivering a remarkable 42% return over the past year, the near-term financial results may not provide a compelling case for a rating change.
In other recent news, IBM has made several notable developments.
The company has resolved its legal disputes with GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ:GFS), paving the way for potential collaborative ventures in areas of shared interest. IBM’s partnership with Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has been enhanced, with the integration of IBM’s advanced Granite large language models into Lockheed’s AI Factory tools to boost innovation in defense and aerospace sectors.
IBM has also entered a global collaboration with defense intelligence company Janes, aiming to integrate Janes’ defense and security intelligence data with IBM’s AI and data platform, WatsonX. This partnership is expected to aid defense leaders in making informed, data-driven decisions.
Evercore ISI has maintained its positive stance on IBM, reiterating an Outperform rating despite the delay in IBM’s acquisition of HashiCorp, which is now expected to close in Q1 2025. IBM also expanded its partnership with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Web Services, introducing new AI offerings on Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker JumpStart.
In addition, IBM has partnered with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to develop the UFC Insights Engine using IBM’s artificial intelligence platform.
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