Why IBM Stock Is Plummeting Today

IBM’s stock is declining today, even though the company reported quarterly earnings that surpassed expectations. As of 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time, IBM’s share price had dropped by about 8%, with the decline reaching as much as 10.1% early in the day’s trading.

Yesterday, after the market closed, IBM shared its second-quarter results, surpassing Wall Street’s expectations with significantly improved outcomes. The corporation also boosted its full-year projection for Free Cash Flow (FCF), yet a perceived softness in their Q2 software sales has led investors to reconsider their holdings of the stock.

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IBM stock sinks as software revenue misses expectations

IBM’s non-GAAP earnings for the second quarter were $2.80 per share, higher than the expected $2.64 per share by analysts, with revenues of $16.98 billion. Compared to the same quarter last year, IBM saw an 8% increase in revenue and a nearly 18% rise in earnings per share.

Although the company’s Q2 report displayed a robust performance across all sectors, investors are focusing on a slight underperformance within the software segment. The category’s revenue grew by 10% year-on-year, amounting to $7.39 billion, yet this figure was slightly lower than the average analyst prediction of $7.39 billion for that period. Furthermore, the software business’s gross margin, at 83.9%, failed to meet the average analyst expectation of a 84% gross margin in the given timeframe.

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What’s next for IBM?

In their most recent quarterly statement, IBM reinforced their prediction of a sales increase of at least 5%, even after accounting for currency fluctuations, for the current year. Furthermore, they raised their forecast for Free Cash Flow (FCF), anticipating to surpass $13.5 billion this year – an improvement from their initial FCF target of approximately $13.5 billion.

Arvind Krishna, the CEO, mentioned that geopolitical unrest is prompting some clients to adopt a more conservative stance when it comes to new agreements. This cautiousness has resulted in a gap in sales for the software sector, which is crucial for the company’s growth and its presence in the artificial intelligence market. Consequently, this situation has led some investors to doubt the company’s stock. However, the company’s Q2 financial results appear robust, and there’s optimism that the current contract inconsistencies might even out over time.

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2025-07-24 19:52