Winston
International Business Machines Corporation logo

International Business Machines Corporation

IBM
52
Information Technology Services · Technology
Price
$262.96
-1.98 (-0.75%)
Market Cap
$247.15B
Winston Score
52
Winston looking curious
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Winston Score between 40 and 70. The stock passes some quality checks but not all.

International Business Machines, known as IBM, helps large companies and governments run their technology systems. Its main products and services include cloud computing, artificial intelligence tools (sold under the Watson brand), and IT consulting through its subsidiary Kyndryl, which was spun off in 2021. IBM is one of the oldest and largest technology companies in the world, with roots going back to 1911.

IBM makes most of its money by charging businesses for software licenses, long-term consulting contracts, and cloud service subscriptions. It operates in over 170 countries and generates roughly $60 billion in annual revenue, with a large share coming from North America and Europe. IBM's main competitive advantage is its deep relationships with large enterprise clients, many of whom rely on IBM systems for critical operations and find it costly to switch. The key growth driver is its hybrid cloud and AI strategy, built partly around its 2019 acquisition of Red Hat, though IBM faces stiff competition from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google in those same markets.

Winston Score History

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+9.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+14.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady EPS growth

R&D Spend

$8.3B/ year

Rising (+11% vs prior year)

12.3% of revenue

In line with sector average (15%)

Investing heavily in future products and technology

Insider Activity

0.2%ownership

Relatively low insider ownership

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$10.8B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Winston looking curious
Growth context

International Business Machines Corporation is growing revenue at 9% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Share count rising — dilution

+4.9% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 904.6M (2021) → 948.7M (2025)

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Gross Margin
56.2%
Premium pricing power — 56.2% gross margin
Operating Margin
8.5%
Modest — 8.5% operating margin
ROCE
1.4%
Weak — 1.4% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+9.7%
Steady sales growth (9.7% YoY)
EPS YoY
+94.4%
Earnings growing fast (94.4% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency
8/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
130%
Turns 130% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
17.2%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (17.2%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
2.04
Heavy debt load (2.04)
Interest Cover
5.77x
Adequate interest coverage (5.8x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
22.8x
Growth-priced — P/E 22.8

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

P/E vs Forward
+2.8
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow — slightly cheaper on forward P/E

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
2.26%
Moderate income — 2.26% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend Growth
+0.6%
Dividend flat

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