Analyst opinions on what investors can expect from IBM (NYSE:IBM) in the near future range from surprisingly-bearish to fervently-bullish. Consider the following two analyst targets, as reported on Seeking Alpha:
- On March 7, 2017, Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White raised his target on IBM from $186 to $215, citing IBM's new partnership with Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) and their investments in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
- On March 8, 2017, Jefferies analyst James Kisner reiterated an underperform rating on IBM, with a price target of $125, citing a lack of fundamentals despite investments in breakthrough areas including AI, blockchain, and quantum computing,
With such a large range in targets, long investors in IBM may be left "scratching their heads." For these investors, does IBM still make sense as a core portfolio holding in 2017 and beyond?
