IBM Common StockIBMCOMMENTMay 12, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Nov 10, 2026. Market Open.
They transition from hardware to services and software. The stock ran up on the hype leading the earnings, but then that enthusiasm vanished. Any revenue miss impacts earnings and sentiment. IBM is interesting in the long term, but IBM has been considered dead money in the past. You get a decent dividend and management is good.
We had these stocks that were growing off of AI, and they've been delivering spectacular growth. But they've also had spectacular increases in share prices, which becomes a potential source of volatility.
The question is whether valuations are too high given projected growth? As we've seen here, some of the price adjustments can be pretty abrupt.
This company has no growth. Top line growth is minimal. For years they have been able to grow their bottom line by buying back stock and using their cash flow to do that. Their service offering is becoming more cloud-based, and they are trying to make that transition. If we get into a major correction, this will probably hold up well because it is a defensive name. Trades at a low multiple, but that is because there is no growth.