IBM Concert Gains Traction: Can This AI-Driven Solution Aid the Stock?
IBM Concert brings together all relevant data and specializations for AI-driven recommendations and workflows. It helps reduce operational costs for patching vulnerabilities through fast response times and higher efficiency for securing all systems, freeing up IT resources and manpower, which then can be used for other productive purposes. Using the IBM Watsonx platform, the fully automated patching process for operating systems has been designed to reduce patching time from 90 minutes to a maximum of 20 minutes. Leveraging Generative AI, IBM Concert develops an optimized and prioritized patching plan by creating contextual information about system topology and business requirements that enables end-to-end AI-powered automation.
Watsonx Platform: The Pillar of IBM Concert
IBM's Watsonx platform is likely to be the core technology platform for IBM's AI capabilities. Watsonx delivers the value of foundational models to the enterprise, enabling them to be more productive. This enterprise-ready AI and data platform comprises three products to help organizations accelerate and scale AI — the watsonx.ai studio for new foundation models, generative AI and machine learning, the watsonx.data fit-for-purpose data store built on an open lake house architecture and the watsonx.governance toolkit to help enable AI workflows to be built with responsibility and transparency.
IBM Rides on Hybrid Cloud, AI Focus
With a surge in traditional cloud-native workloads and associated applications, along with a rise in generative AI deployment, there is a radical expansion in the number of cloud workloads that enterprises are currently managing. This has resulted in heterogeneous, dynamic and complex infrastructure strategies, which, in turn, have led firms to undertake a cloud-agnostic and interoperable approach to highly secure multi-cloud management.
IBM is poised to benefit from healthy demand trends for hybrid cloud and AI, which drive the Software and Consulting segments. The company's growth is expected to be aided by analytics, cloud computing and security in the long term. A combination of a better business mix, improving operating leverage through productivity gains and increased investment in growth opportunities will likely boost profitability.
Price Performance
Buoyed by strong demand for hybrid cloud and AI, IBM has surged 63.7% over the past year compared with the industry 's growth of 9.4%, outperforming peers like Microsoft Corporation MSFT and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN. While Microsoft has gained 6.6%, Amazon jumped 11.3% over this period.
One-Year IBM Stock Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Estimate Revision Trend of IBM
IBM is currently witnessing an uptrend in estimate revisions. Earnings estimates for 2025 have moved up 4.6% to $10.95 over the past year, while the same for 2026 has increased 4.5% to $11.66. The positive estimate revision portrays bullish sentiments about the stock's growth potential.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
IBM Growth Prospects Marred by Margin Woes
Despite solid hybrid cloud and AI traction, IBM is facing stiff competition from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Increasing pricing pressure is eroding margins, and profitability has trended down over the years, barring occasional spikes. The company's ongoing, heavily time-consuming business model transition to the cloud is challenging. Weakness in its traditional business and foreign exchange volatility remain significant concerns.
Key Valuation Metric
From a valuation standpoint, IBM appears to be trading at a premium relative to the industry and is trading well above its mean. Going by the price/book ratio, the company shares currently trade at 9.92, higher than 3.95 for the industry and the stock's mean of 6.01.
End Note
IBM hybrid cloud blends public cloud, private cloud and on-premises infrastructure to develop a single, flexible, cost-optimal IT infrastructure. With the buyout of HashiCorp, the company has created a comprehensive end-to-end hybrid cloud platform built for AI-driven complexity, delivering clients extensive application, infrastructure and security lifecycle management capabilities. The IBM Concert solution is increasingly gaining wider adoption by incorporating modern AI and automation technologies for a future-proof, scalable and highly secure IT operating model.
However, with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), IBM appears to be treading in the middle of the road, and new investors could be better off if they trade with caution. It is also trading at premium valuation metrics and investors could wait for a better entry point to cash in on its long-term fundamentals. Consequently, it might not be prudent to bet on the stock at the moment. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Norway's Marinvest Energy pitches LNG project in Quebec
Liquefied natural gas could be exported to Europe and beyond from Baie-Comeau, Que., according to a new proposal by a Norwegian company. Known as the Marinvest Energy LNG Export Project, the proposal includes building floating offshore platforms and a liquefaction plant in Baie-Comeau. A pipeline spanning several hundred kilometres would also be required to connect the new facilities to TC Energy Corp.'s TRP-T Canadian Mainline, a major pipeline carrying natural gas from Western Canada to Eastern Canada and into the U.S. The proponent is Marinvest Energy Canada, a subsidiary of Marinvest Energy AS based in Bergen, Norway. Its chief operating officer, Greg Cano, said in a written statement there's a 'strong business case' for the project, which would export LNG globally, particularly to Europe. News of the project was first published on Friday by Montreal newspaper Le Devoir. Basic details, including its cost, how it will be financed, who would design and construct it, and even where proposed facilities would be located, were unavailable. Marinvest Energy AS's website does not disclose information about the project, nor its leadership or partners, nor any previous projects they have executed. 'We are currently at the very early stage of the project,' Mr. Cano wrote. 'For the time being, we are focusing on meeting with various stakeholders and partners, including First Nations communities.' LNG Canada starts exports to Asia and explores pathways to expansion Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist at Greenpeace Canada, said his organization began hearing rumours earlier this year of a pipeline proposed near the north coast of the St. Lawrence River. Greenpeace representatives confirmed those rumours during a recent meeting with Quebec's environment minister. Mr. Stewart added that Greenpeace representatives in Norway told him Marinvest Energy AS is not a major player in that country. 'They wouldn't have the money for a project like this,' he said. 'It looks like what they're trying to do is get government backing for the idea, and then go out and raise the money.' Mr. Stewart said Greenpeace Canada is concerned the federal government might include the project on a list of projects deemed to be of national interest, which could exempt it from traditional requirements such as permits and environmental reviews. It also fears the project could obtain large federal subsidies. Province says it is open to reviving GNL Quebec gas facility project amid U.S. tariff threats Karine Otis, chief executive officer of Baie-Comeau Port Management Corp., said Marinvest contacted the port authority less than two months ago. For the past five years, the port authority has sought to create a hub for energy products and raw materials. For example, a German company known as Hy2gen plans to produce ammonia at an industrial park near Baie-Comeau, with construction set to begin in 2027. 'LNG was not part of this vision until Marinvest came,' Ms. Otis said, and the port is not planning an LNG terminal. But she added that the project could be a good fit in the hub, provided the port can ensure it occupies the least space possible, shares common utilities and other infrastructure with other tenants, and minimizes environmental impacts. 'It's a matter of, is this project feasible financially? Is it viable? Is it needed for our governmental authorities, and is it acceptable? If it is, the port will do what's necessary to accommodate that project.' Another proponent, GNL Quebec, had previously proposed a $9-billion natural gas liquefaction complex in Saguenay, Que., with an annual production capacity of 11 million tonnes of LNG for export to Europe and Asia. That project – which would have included a 780-kilometre pipeline connecting it to TC Energy's Mainline – was blocked by Quebec's government in 2021, and by the federal government the following year. Greenhouse-gas emissions and impacts to beluga whales in the St. Lawrence were identified as concerns.
Globe and Mail
8 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in 3D Printing Photopolymer Market
Over the past decade, technologies within the 3D printing photopolymer market have evolved to become increasingly divergent, shifting from conventional stereolithography (SLA) to more advanced Digital Light Processing (DLP) and PolyJet technologies. Such changes indicate a growing demand for faster production speeds, higher resolution, and more versatile material properties in photopolymer 3D printing. Over the past decade, technologies within the 3D printing photopolymer market have evolved to become increasingly divergent, shifting from conventional stereolithography (SLA) to more advanced Digital Light Processing (DLP) and PolyJet technologies. Such changes indicate a growing demand for faster production speeds, higher resolution, and more versatile material properties in photopolymer 3D printing. Download sample by clicking on Stratasys, 3D Systems, Evonik, Formlabs, Envision TEC, DSM Somos are among the major technology providers in the 3D printing photopolymer market. Lucintel, a leading global management consulting and market research firm with over 1,000 clients worldwide, has analyzed the technologies used in 3D printing photopolymer market and has now published a comprehensive research report titled "Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in the Global 3D Printing Photopolymer Market 2024-2030". This report analyzes technology maturity, degree of disruption, competitive intensity, market potential, and other parameters of various technologies in the 3D printing photopolymer technology market. The study includes trends and forecast for the technology trends in the 3D printing photopolymer market various segmentations as below: 3D Printing Photopolymer Market Trend and Forecast by Technology [Value from 2019 to 2031]: • Digital Light Processing • Polyjet • Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing Photopolymer Market Trend and Forecast by End Use Industry [Value from 2019 to 2031]: • Aerospace & Defense • Healthcare • Automotive 3D Printing Photopolymer Market by Region [Value from 2019 to 2031]: • North America • Europe • Asia Pacific • The Rest of the World Latest Developments and Innovations in the 3D Printing Photopolymer Technologies Companies / Ecosystems Strategic Opportunities by Technology Type A more than 150-pages research report will enable you to make confident business decisions in this globally competitive marketplace. For a detailed table of contents, contact Lucintel at +1-972-636-5056 or click on this link helpdesk@ About Lucintel Lucintel, the premier global management consulting and market research firm, creates winning strategies for growth. It offers market assessments, competitive analysis, opportunity analysis, growth consulting, M&A, and due diligence services to executives and key decision-makers in a variety of industries. For further information, visit Explore Our Latest Publications Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in Aircraft Fuel System Market Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in Diode Pump Solid State Lasers Market Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in E-Commerce Fraud Detection Solutions Market Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in Exhaust Heat Recovery System Market Technology Landscape, Trends and Opportunities in Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Market Media Contact Company Name: Lucintel Contact Person: Roy Almaguer Email: Send Email Phone: 972.636.5056 Address: 8951 Cypress Waters Blvd., Suite 160 City: Dallas State: TEXAS Country: United States Website:
Globe and Mail
8 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Lucintel Forecasts the Global Wall-Mounted AC EV Charger Market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 22.4% from 2025 to 2031
According to a market report by Lucintel, the future of the global wall-mounted AC EV charger market looks promising with opportunities in the individual and commercial markets. The global wall-mounted AC EV charger market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 22.4% from 2025 to 2031 According to a market report by Lucintel, the future of the global wall-mounted AC EV charger market looks promising with opportunities in the individual and commercial markets. The global wall-mounted AC EV charger market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 22.4% from 2025 to 2031. The major drivers for this market are the increasing demand for electric vehicles, the rising shift towards sustainable transportation options, and the growing need for home charging solutions. A more than 150-page report to understand trends, opportunity and forecast in wall-mounted AC EV charger market to 2031 by type (1-phase and 3-phase), application (individual, commercial, and others), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World). Lucintel forecasts that, within the type category, 3-phase is expected to witness higher growth over the forecast period due to the increasing power requirements. Within the application category, commercial is expected to witness higher growth due to the rising demand for fleet charging solutions. Download sample by clicking on wall-mounted AC EV charger market In terms of region, APAC is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period due to the growing government incentives. Sichuan Injet New Energy, ABB, Eaton, Shenzhen Winline Technology, Delta Electronics, Cord Power Technologies, EVB, Weidmüller, EVESCO, Lectron are the major suppliers in the wall-mounted AC EV charger market. This unique research report will enable you to make confident business decisions in this globally competitive marketplace. For a detailed table of contents, contact Lucintel at +1-972-636-5056 or write us at helpdesk@ To get access of more than 1000 reports at fraction of cost visit Lucintel's Analytics Dashboard. About Lucintel At Lucintel, we offer solutions for you growth through game changer ideas and robust market & unmet needs analysis. We are based in Dallas, TX and have been a trusted advisor for 1,000+ clients for over 20 years. We are quoted in several publications like the Wall Street Journal, ZACKS, and the Financial Times. Contact: Roy Almaguer Lucintel Dallas, Texas, USA Email: Tel. +1-972-636-5056 Explore Our Latest Publications PP Leno Bag Market Modifier 1815 Market Medical Ultrasound Bone Densitometer Market Kids Summer Camp Gear Market Smart Baby Bassinet Market Media Contact Company Name: Lucintel Contact Person: Roy Almaguer Email: Send Email Phone: 972.636.5056 Address: 8951 Cypress Waters Blvd., Suite 160 City: Dallas State: TEXAS Country: United States Website:
