5 Best Underperforming Tech Stocks to Buy for a Turnaround

4. Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE)

Short Percentage of Float: 4.31%

Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is one of the best underperforming tech stocks to buy for a turnaround. Adobe fits the setup because the stock has been caught in the broader software selloff tied to AI disruption fears. Reuters reported on April 20 that Adobe shares were down about 30% in 2026 as investors weighed whether autonomous AI tools from companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI could pressure traditional software and design products.

The freshest product support came on May 6, when Adobe unveiled its new productivity agent, bringing Acrobat document intelligence into an agentic interface that can help users work with PDFs, surface insights, and create presentations, podcasts, blogs, and social posts from documents. Adobe said the tool is part of a broader agentic strategy across documents, data, and systems, which helps frame AI as a product expansion opportunity rather than just a competitive threat.

Adobe also moved to strengthen its enterprise AI case on April 28 by completing its acquisition of Semrush, adding brand visibility capabilities as AI interfaces and agents become more important in how customers discover and evaluate brands. That followed Reuters’ April 21 report that Adobe authorized a $25 billion buyback through April 2030, a signal of management confidence as the company works to reassure investors on its AI strategy.

Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) provides creative, document, productivity, customer-experience, and AI software through products and platforms, including Creative Cloud, Acrobat, Adobe Express, Firefly, and Adobe Experience Cloud.