IBM Jumps after Oppenheimer Assigns New Street-High Price Target

Shares of tech firm IBM (IBM) jumped on Friday after investment firm Oppenheimer began coverage with a Buy rating and a $360 price target, the highest on Wall Street right now. Analyst Param Singh said that the positive outlook is based on IBM's ability to grow its software business and improve its consulting services, while benefiting from AI technology.TipRanks Black Friday Sale Claim 60% off TipRanks Premium for the data-backed insights and research tools you need to invest with confidence. Subscribe to TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks and see our data in action through our high-performing model portfolio - now also 60% off Singh expects IBM's software division to keep growing at double-digit rates, thanks to HashiCorp and better results from Red Hat. Consulting is also expected to slowly recover, with steady growth in application development and management services. On top of that, Singh sees more revenue coming from AI-related work, such as helping companies build and run AI applications. These strengths could help IBM improve its profit margins as it shifts toward a software-heavy business model. What makes Singh's view different from others on Wall Street is his strong belief that IBM's transition to a software-focused company is working better than many investors realize. He thinks that the market is being too cautious and hasn't fully appreciated the progress yet. Once investors recognize this shift, Singh believes IBM's stock could be valued much higher. Is IBM a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on IBM stock based on eight Buys, five Holds, and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average IBM price target of $300.58 per share implies that shares are trading near fair value.