This is a bad year for IBM stocks, but 2018 can be quite different. IBM (NYSE: IBM) was once the world’s most valuable company – back in the 1980s when tech giants dominated the mainframe and PC markets. Today, young tech giants such as Apple and Alphabet have eclipsed, but IBM remains a powerful player in the field of information technology. With IBM taking more than expected transitions to software and services companies, share prices have been declining in recent years and the company has earned investors a good reputation. It has raised its quarterly dividend payout ratio for 17 straight years and now yields as much as 3.9%.

Since mid-October, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) has shown some strength. But so far, it has not been enough to eliminate the damage. During 2017, IBM share price has dropped by about 7.5%. This is undoubtedly frustrating since tech companies bullish bull markets, including established carriers such as SAP SE (ADR) (NYSE: SAP) and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC). Remember, the hard work of IBM stocks is not a temporary matter. Over the past five years, the average rate of return hasreached -2%!

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