IBM Reports Oct. 21. Should You Buy the Stock 29% Below Its June Record?

IBM Reports Oct. 21. Should You Buy the Stock 29% Below Its June Record?

By Daniel Sparks, The Motley Fool
Publication Date: 2026-10-19 10:41:00

Shares of International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) trade around $234 as I write, two days before the company posts third-quarter results on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The stock has shed about 21% of its value so far in 2026, and it is 29% below the all-time high of $329.23 it closed at on June 2.

The hardest hit was on July 14, when IBM said second-quarter revenue had come in below its own expectations. Shares sank 25% that day.

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What bothers me most about that quarter is software. IBM’s software revenue grew 5% year over year. But without acquisitions, it was flat, according to CFO James Kavanaugh.

With the stock this far below its high and a dividend yielding almost 3%, is IBM worth…