IBM's (IBM, $124.79) Largest Deal: Will Acquire Cloud Firm Red Hat (RHT, $116.68) For $34 Billion
In what could be the third largest deal in the history of U.S. technology, IBM will be acquiring open-source software company Red Hat for $34 billion. The combined entity could potentially emerge as the next behemoth in cloud computing – one of the most in-demand services today.
IBM will pay in cash to buy all shares in Red Hat at $190 each. IBM is advised by Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Lazard, while Red Hat is advised by Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim on the deal. If the deal passes regulatory and shareholder approvals, Red Hat’s operations will become a part of IBM’s Hybrid Cloud division. The deal might close in second half of next year.
Cloud technology essentially provides services such as data storage, database management, networking, access to servers access , software solutions, analytics, intelligence and more via the internet. Dropbox, Flickr, Google Drive, Netflix, Microsoft Office 365 and Yahoo Mail are examples of cloud services.
IBM-Red Hat merger is expected to help businesses/users have a smoother transition or transfer of data between different cloud platforms, and to keep users' data secure irrespective of which cloud technologies they use.
This year saw several other major acquisitions in the open source space. Microsoft acquired code-sharing platform GitHub for $7.5 billion. Salesforce bought Mulesoft (a firm that helps to collate different software applications, data and devices) for $6.5 billion. Also, Cloudera and Hortonworks announced a $5.2 billion deal to merge.
According to IBM and Red Hat, their deal would be the "most significant tech acquisition of 2018." .In recent times, IBM signed cloud contracts with Economical Insurance, ExxonMobil and Novis. What’s more, Red Hat is in partnerships with major cloud players including Amazon, Microsoft and Google - that means, following the IBM-Red Hat deal, IBM might be offering solutions to its current competitors as well.
IBM's CFO Jim Kavanaugh told investors earlier this month that its cloud business raked in $19 billion in revenue , which is more than 20% from the same time last year. Its acquisition of Red Hat (IBM's largest deal ever) could potentially bolster its cloud solutions even more.
IBM's RSI Indicator ascending out of oversold territory
The RSI Oscillator for IBM moved out of oversold territory on February 25, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is shifting from a downward trend to an upward trend. Traders may want to buy the stock or call options. The A.I.dvisor looked at 24 similar instances when the indicator left oversold territory. In of the 24 cases the stock moved higher. This puts the odds of a move higher at .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on March 05, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on IBM as a result. In of 78 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for IBM just turned positive on March 04, 2026. Looking at past instances where IBM's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 37 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where IBM advanced for three days, in of 368 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
IBM may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 3 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
IBM moved below its 50-day moving average on February 03, 2026 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where IBM declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator for IBM entered a downward trend on March 04, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is seriously undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (7.278) is normal, around the industry mean (9.539). P/E Ratio (22.741) is within average values for comparable stocks, (45.212). IBM's Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (2.373) is slightly higher than the industry average of (1.302). Dividend Yield (0.026) settles around the average of (0.026) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (3.559) is also within normal values, averaging (26.695).
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 92, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. IBM’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
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General Information
a manufacturer of various computer products through the use of advanced information technology
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