The Panic-Proof Portfolio (Stockchase Research)IBM Common StockIBMTOP PICKAug 20, 2020

AI has really played into its hands. Still has some of the legacy hardware. Short runway, take a bit of profit of about 1/3. If goes higher, you still own. If goes lower, you can buy it back.

It's finally breathing some life into its stock. The 4.1% dividend is one factor, and falling interest rates will help. Their Q1 and Q2 saw sales lighter than expected, though posted big earnings beat. However, they beat revenues and earnings last month, plus strong cash flow. The CEO has been touting hybrid AI to clients. Their key AI platform is Watson X, launched last spring. Their consulting business makes up a third of revenues but is overlooked. Shares trades at only 16x PE 2024. 43% of sales are from software, and 33% from consulting. This is consistent. IBM its recent upgrades.

IBM lacks the spread of clientele like MSFT. Also, IBM has been getting rid of their hardware business, focusing more on software with AI. In terms of quality, MSFT is better (customer loyalty, Office Suite) while IBM is inferior, offering little growth. IBM isn't a big player moving forward. Among megatech, MSFT is the top.

Not a fan of company, however business is turning around. Dividend improving. Expecting 9% growth rate. Would wait to see how company performs before buying. Management team doing well. 

Not a top pick for tech investing. Better options for investors in tech. Trading at fair price, but not getting excellent business. 

Has done well, but medium- to long-term growth strategy is weak. Some decline in businesses. Made acquisitions at big premiums, impacting cashflow. Dividend won't grow much. Try for $120 or below, collect dividend, sell at peak. Layering in on MSFT over the next 6 months would be better.

Recent success. Nice beat last quarter, up 13% YOY. Flat revenue, general margins beat. 3-5% growth target. He models only 5% growth for 14x earnings. Dividend looks good. Better opportunities in tech and elsewhere.

The question was on AI stocks. It is a good, long-term stable company but not a choice for chip stocks.

Better opportunities, like MSFT or Visa. Not a lot of growth. Look at smaller US and Canadian stocks with better growth profiles. Dividend of 4.5% won't get cut.

Unsure on future growth for company.
~20 years of share price under-performance.
Management not instilling confidence at the moment.
Turnarounds very difficult.
Would not recommend investing. 

Last year, this was flat when all tech was down 28%. Give this stock some respect. Is down 5% YTD. AI could enter the conversation. She doesn't expect any drama when they report Wednesday. They offer slow and steady growth. They have strong services and enterprise businesses.

In terms of AI, they were a leader with their IBM Watson software. He targets $140.30. He owns a small holding. For the end users, IBM is very good with AI software.

No longer a mainframe company and deserves credit for transitioning into blockchain and software. Are earning revenues. Trades at a cheap 14.7x PE.

A services tech company now after spinning off their mainframe business. They historically had trouble growing, and just kept buying back stock to grow EPS, which you can't do forever. There's better growth elsewhere.

It has a good dividend yield of 5.2% as well as good growth potential. Also it has a new CEO and made a great acquisition of Redhat.