IBM on Wednesday topped Wall Street fourth-quarter estimates. The technology and consulting firm expects full-year revenue growth to exceed 5% and free cash flows to increase by $1 billion.
IBM Earnings Preview: Operating Margin Is Slowly Expanding
Evaluate the expected performance of IBM (IBM) for the quarter ended December 2025, looking beyond the conventional Wall Street top-and-bottom-line estimates and examining some of its key metrics for better insight.
International Business Machines Corporation demonstrates robust growth across all segments in 2025, driven by AI-fueled demand in Software, Consulting, and Infrastructure. Management raised full-year free cash flow guidance to $14B, with year-to-date FCF up from $6.6B to $7.2B, reflecting improved operating leverage. Segment durability and essential use cases mitigate prior concerns about government spending cuts and macro risks, supporting a higher intrinsic valuation.
International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM) is positioned for a potential reacceleration in software growth and upward estimate revisions in 2026, according to Jefferies analysts. In a note ahead of IBM's earnings report, due on January 28, the firm reiterated a ‘Buy' rating on the stock.
IBM's Q4 may get a lift from healthy Consulting revenue growth fueled by AI-driven tools and a key Microsoft partnership.
IBM's Q4 Software revenues are likely to have risen on watsonx.ai momentum, AI partnerships and the Confluent acquisition.
IBM is executing a strategic pivot from LLM competition to AI platform and data orchestration, targeting higher-margin enterprise IT budgets. Recent acquisitions, including Confluent, are expected to be accretive to adjusted EBITDA within a year and free cash flow in year two. IBM is on track for its fourth consecutive year of >5% free cash flow growth, with management guiding toward ~$14B in 2025.
IBM gears up for Q4 earnings with AI and cloud momentum, but premium valuation and stiff competition weigh on the outlook.
In the most recent trading session, IBM (IBM) closed at $291.35, indicating a -4.68% shift from the previous trading day.
With increased volatility could come an opportunity to pick up a steady dividend stock at a slightly lower price and perhaps a few more basis points of yield.