IBM looks attractive because investors are treating a timing slip like a demand collapse. x.comÂ
Steven Fiorillo
Seeking Alpha Analyst, Basis Point Podcast Co-Host
IBM looks like a long-term buy with record long-term accumulation behind it. Its last candle showed $245B of six-month high-volume accumulation, and the stock is retesting both EMAs and $232.90 support. A $14M write of long-dated $300 calls reads as a hedge by large holders who accumulated near $300, not a bearish bet; a retest of $300 is the next test, with $200 the level that would invalidate it. x.comÂ
IBM's second-quarter miss looks like a timing issue rather than AI taking over software, with valuation offering support. Shares fell after management cited clients shifting capex to memory and hardware amid supply constraints and price hikes, plus poor execution on closing deals. It is a rare miss for CEO Arvind Krishna. The stock could be dead money for a while. x.comÂ
IBM is a valuation trap, with a high-conviction sell target of $200 by December 2026 as its multiple compresses toward its historical average. It lags in AI and quantum, its premium P/E lacks the structural growth to justify it, and its CY26 EPS estimate of $12.35 is under threat. A macro slowdown could push enterprises to cut nice-to-have transformation projects, and missing hyped quantum milestones would speed a rerating as Google and Microsoft pull ahead. x.com x.comÂ
IBM's record one-day drop, on pace to surpass its 1987 Black Monday decline, is the biggest overreaction since Netflix's near-40% plunge in 2022. IBM's CEO said only a few large capex deals in mainframe and its associated software were paused near quarter-end, not a widespread problem, and that IBM does not see its software being disrupted by AI at all. x.com x.comÂ
IBM's fundamentals are catching up with its chart after the market panicked over July earnings, setting up a potential gap fill. Since then IBM secured a $240M Nvidia-powered cluster deal with Together AI, partnered with OpenAI and bought DataStax. The stock has recovered from its $199 low and is testing heavy resistance at $241 near its 50-day EMA; a break and hold above $242 would leave the gap above wide open. x.comÂ
IBM remains bearish on trend heading into earnings, which will be a damage report rather than a preview. It already pre-warned on July 15 with preliminary results well below estimates, BofA cut its target to $280, and the stock is down about 34%. Because much of the bad news is already out, a bounce is possible if it resets the bar and stops the bleeding. x.comÂ
IBM stands to benefit from massive quantum investment: the Trump administration is awarding $2 billion in grants to nine quantum-computing companies, and IBM is getting $1 billion of it. The chart also shows support, with a tweezer bottom, a Friday push above the 200 EMA and a volume gap above. x.comÂ
IBM, the quantum computing leader, is a buy after President Trump fast-tracked quantum computing with multiple executive orders, making the next three years especially interesting for the company. x.comÂ
IBM is extremely expensive, and its latest announcement adds caution: enterprises are prioritizing hardware and memory purchases, which pressures software spending. Quantum computing is a distant option, software is too small a part of the business to drive upside, and the stock carries a significant Trump premium. The same shift supports even stronger conviction in semiconductors and memory. x.comÂ
IBM could be next in line, after Dell and Intel, to benefit from the Trump-driven AI and domestic technology narrative. As the large-cap leader in quantum computing, it sits on an emerging theme that still feels early relative to AI infrastructure and data centers. Its price has reclaimed the weekly Ichimoku Cloud, typically a shift back to a bullish long-term trend, and a breakout to new all-time highs projects a path toward about $500. x.comÂ