Should I Buy IEP? IEP 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

7.780

1 Day change

-0.38%

52 Week Range

15.650

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/29

Not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who wants to enter immediately. The stock is trading below key support/pivot levels with weak near-term momentum, there are no fresh news catalysts, and the latest quarter shows revenue contraction despite a large (likely non-repeatable) jump in net income/EPS. If you want to deploy capital now, IEP does not offer a clean long-term entry setup based on the provided data.

Technical Analysis

Price context: Last close ~7.83, which is below the listed support band (S2 8.069, S1 8.161) and well below the pivot (8.31). This positioning typically reflects a bearish/weak trend and increases the odds of resistance on rebounds. Momentum: MACD histogram is slightly positive (0.0163) but “positively contracting,” suggesting upside momentum is fading rather than strengthening. RSI: RSI(6) ~36.5 (neutral-to-weak, leaning toward oversold). This can allow for short bounces, but it’s not a strong buy signal by itself. Moving averages: Converging moving averages usually indicate consolidation/indecision; combined with price below key levels, it’s not a strong trend-following entry. Levels to watch: Immediate resistance around S2/S1 (8.07–8.16) and then pivot 8.31. A more convincing technical buy would typically require reclaiming and holding above ~8.31; right now it’s trading below these thresholds.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Put/Call ratios are low (OI PCR 0.55; Volume PCR 0.26), which is generally bullish (more call interest/volume than puts). Activity/positioning: Today’s options volume is elevated vs 30-day average (~30.66x) and open interest is also elevated vs average (~119.76%), indicating unusually high options attention. Volatility: 30D IV ~45.31 vs HV ~43.31 (slightly higher implied than realized). IV rank/percentile are low (IV rank ~10.83, percentile ~21.2), meaning options are not extremely expensive relative to recent history. Takeaway: Options positioning leans bullish, but it has not translated into a confirmed price uptrend yet; it reads more like speculative interest than a technically-confirmed breakout.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Options sentiment skewed bullish (low put/call ratios) with unusually high options activity.
RSI near the lower range can allow for short-term mean-reversion bounces.
Next earnings catalyst: Q earnings scheduled 2026-02-25 (pre-market), which can re-rate the stock if results/forward commentary improve.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Price is below key support/pivot levels (bearish technical posture) and momentum is fading (MACD contracting).
No news in the recent week; lacks a clear near-term catalyst to reverse the trend.
Revenue declined YoY in the latest quarter, which is a negative underlying growth signal.
Hedge fund and insider trading trends are neutral (no supportive accumulation signal).
No recent congress trading data available (no influential-purchase confirmation).

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue: 2.436B, down -8.76% YoY (negative top-line trend). Net income: 281M, up +1177.27% YoY. EPS: 0.49, up +880.00% YoY. Gross margin: 30.83, up +84.17% YoY. Interpretation: Profitability metrics surged, but with revenue declining, the quality/sustainability of earnings strength is less clear from the snapshot alone (could be driven by non-operating items or a sharp margin swing). For a long-term beginner entry, the mixed growth profile does not justify buying immediately while the chart remains weak.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

No analyst rating/price target trend data was provided, so recent Wall Street upgrades/downgrades and target changes cannot be confirmed from this dataset. Pros (typical pro case based on available signals): bullish options skew and improved reported profitability. Cons (typical bear case based on available signals): weakening revenue trend and bearish technical positioning (below support/pivot) with no near-term news catalyst.

Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast IEP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for IEP is 0 USD with a low forecast of 0 USD and a high forecast of 0 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

Buy