Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM)

Posted by James Quigley on May 21st, 2026

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM – Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 63,624 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 46% compared to the typical volume of 43,616 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael Miebach purchased 434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $233.33 per share, with a total value of $101,265.22. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,265.22. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth about $2,446,429,000. Capital World Investors boosted its position in International Business Machines by 29.2% during 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 period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of International Business Machines by 83.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 359.6% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,896,675 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $561,814,000 after buying an additional 1,484,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 58.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

NYSE IBM traded up $17.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $242.16. 8,684,621 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,978,263. The company has a market capitalization of $227.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50 day moving average is $238.52 and its 200-day moving average is $272.95. International Business Machines has a 1 year low of $212.34 and a 1 year high of $324.90.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The technology company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.60 billion. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 37.23% and a net margin of 15.61%.The business’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that International Business Machines will post 12.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $1.69 dividend. This is an increase from International Business Machines’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.68. This represents a $6.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. International Business Machines’s payout ratio is 59.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of International Business Machines in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on International Business Machines from $317.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $380.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of International Business Machines from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.41.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on International Business Machines

Key Headlines Impacting International Business Machines

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

Positive Sentiment: IBM and the Commerce Department announced plans for America’s first purpose-built quantum foundry, backed by a proposed $1 billion CHIPS award, which could strengthen IBM’s quantum leadership and future revenue opportunities. IBM and U.S. Department of Commerce Announce America’s First Purpose-Built Quantum Foundry, Supported by Proposed $1 Billion CHIPS Award
Positive Sentiment: Reports that the Trump administration will allocate about $2 billion to quantum computing firms, including IBM, have lifted the stock on expectations of direct funding support and possible equity-backed government involvement. IBM and Quantum Stocks Jump on Trump Administration Funding Pact. What We Know.
Neutral Sentiment: IBM’s recent AI-security and Project Glasswing announcements may help the company’s longer-term enterprise story, but they appear secondary today to the quantum funding headlines. IBM Brings Its Most Advanced AI-Powered Security Portfolio to Clients, and is Strengthened by Ongoing Project Glasswing Work

International Business Machines Company Profile

(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.