IBM
International Business Machines Corporation
IBM has the edge over V overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
V
Visa Inc.
V has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
IBM Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Under pressure |
IBM's profitability and cash flow are currently strong, and its revenue is stable, but its balance sheet is under pressure.
V Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
V's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like V.
IBM PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 17x | $194 | -21% |
| Forward | 19x | $245 | — |
| Current | 21x | $245 | — |
| Fair | 23x | $274 | +12% |
| Expensive | 46x | $538 | +120% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
IBM's PE is in its cheap range at 21x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 19x next year's earnings.
V PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 28x | $420 | — |
| Cheap | 30x | $371 | -12% |
| Fair | 33x | $402 | -4.4% |
| Current | 34x | $420 | — |
| Expensive | 38x | $474 | +13% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
V has the edge over IBM in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
IBM Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect IBM's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
V Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
V has the edge over IBM on the outlook, with more favorable revenue expectations.
IBM Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.06 | +11% |
| Q3 2026 | $11.75 | +40% |
| Q2 2026 | $11.29 | +83% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.33 | +94% |
| Q4 2025 | $11.17 | +74% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.38 | +22% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.18 | -32% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.83 | -34% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.43 | -21% |
IBM earned $11.75 per share over the past year, up 40% from the year before.
V Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $15.01 | +22% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.32 | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $11.76 | +15% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.48 | +15% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.66 | +7.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.21 | +4.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.24 | +9.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $9.95 | +11% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.92 | +14% |
V's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $12.32 over the past year, up 21% from the year before, and higher year over year for 21 quarters in a row.
IBM Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $17.1B | +4.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.2B | +1.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.9B | +9.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $19.7B | +12% |
| Q3 2025 | $16.3B | +9.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $17B | +7.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $14.5B | +0.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $17.6B | +1% |
IBM's revenue has grown year over year for 13 quarters in a row: $17.1B last quarter, up 4.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | -0.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 14% | -0.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 8.7% | +0.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 21% | +2.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 15% | +20 points |
| Q2 2025 | 15% | +1.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8% | +0.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 19% | -2.8 points |
IBM's operating margin was 15% last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
V Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.1B | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $11.6B | +14% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.2B | +17% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.9B | +15% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.7B | +12% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.2B | +14% |
| Q1 2025 | $9.6B | +9.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.5B | +10% |
V has the edge over IBM on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 60% | +2.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | 59% | -1.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 64% | +7.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 62% | -3.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 57% | -8.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 61% | -6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 57% | -4.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 66% | -3.4 points |
V has the edge over IBM on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
IBM Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.7B | +31% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.4B | +59% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.9B | +20% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.7B | -9.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.8B | +8.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.5B | -19% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.1B | +5% |
| Q4 2024 | $4B | -3.3% |
IBM's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $14.7B over the past year, up 18% from the year before.
V Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $6.9B | +18% |
| Q2 2026 | $6.1B | -2.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.6B | -40% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.4B | +27% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.8B | -8% |
| Q2 2025 | $6.3B | +33% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.4B | +2.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1B | +51% |
V has the edge over IBM on cash flow, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
IBM Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | +260K shares |
| 1 year | +0.5% | +4.6M shares |
| 3 years | +3.2% | +29.9M shares |
| 5 years | +5.3% | +47.6M shares |
| Available history | +2.1% | +19.6M shares |
IBM has 954M diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2019 | — |
V Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -7% | -136M shares |
| 1 year | -7.6% | -148M shares |
| 3 years | -13% | -268M shares |
| 5 years | -17% | -378M shares |
| Available history | -20% | -443M shares |
V has the edge over IBM on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4B |
| Q2 2026 | $4.8B |
| Q1 2026 | $7.9B |
| Q4 2025 | $3.7B |
| Q3 2025 | $4.9B |
| Q2 2025 | $4.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.6B |
| Q4 2024 | $4B |
V spent $20.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 12% from the year before.
IBM Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.9x | Elevated |
| Q2 2026 | 3.9x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 4.0x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 3.5x | Elevated |
| Q3 2025 | 4.2x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 5.5x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 5.6x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 4.4x | High |
IBM's net debt is about 3.9 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 4.2 years a year ago.
V Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.2x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.3x | Very low |
V has the edge over IBM on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
IBM Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 50.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 74.8 | Neutral |
IBM's weekly RSI is 50 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 75 (neutral).
V Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 73.7 | Overbought |
| Stochastic | 82.0 | Overbought |
V's weekly RSI is 74 (overbought) and its Stochastic is 82 (overbought).
IBM PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | IBM | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 21x | 28x | 25% below |
| PE % | 31 | 35 | 4 pts below |
IBM has the edge over V on valuation relative to its sector.
V PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | V | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 34x | 13x | 162% above |
| PE % | 62 | 63 | 1 pt below |
V is trading at 34x earnings, a 162% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
IBM Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $238.6 | 2.6% above |
| 20 week MA | $239.3 | 2.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $256.6 | 4.6% below |
| 100 week MA | $258.5 | 5.3% below |
| 200 week MA | $212.3 | 15% above |
IBM's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 15% above its 200-week average.
V Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $397.6 | 5.7% above |
| 20 week MA | $378.3 | 11% above |
| 50 week MA | $346.0 | 21% above |
| 100 week MA | $343.7 | 22% above |
| 200 week MA | $300.6 | 40% above |
V has the edge over IBM on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
IBM Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $129.3 | $119.2 | -7.8% |
| 2021 | $119.2 | $130.6 | +9.6% |
| 2022 | $130.6 | $141.7 | +8.4% |
| 2023 | $141.7 | $163.6 | +15% |
| 2024 | $163.6 | $222.8 | +36% |
| 2025 | $222.8 | $305.1 | +37% |
| 2026 YTD | $305.1 | $244.7 | -20% |
IBM has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's down 20% so far in 2026.
V Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $189.4 | $208.7 | +10% |
| 2021 | $208.7 | $216.6 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | $216.6 | $205.8 | -5% |
| 2023 | $205.8 | $260.4 | +26% |
| 2024 | $260.4 | $318.7 | +22% |
| 2025 | $318.7 | $355.0 | +11% |
| 2026 YTD | $355.0 | $420.3 | +18% |
V has the edge over IBM on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.