The company beat revenue expectations in consulting and infrastructure — but it didn't deliver upside for its software segment.
IBM delivered stronger results than expected and raised its forecast for full-year free cash flow. The software, hardware and consulting company saw strength in sales of infrastructure, such as mainframe computers.
IBM beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday, helped by renewed sales in its mainframe business as artificial intelligence upgrades spurred demand for the systems, which are capable of processing vast amounts of data.
IBM is scheduled to report their Q2 '25 financial results after the closing bell on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025. Analyst consensus is expecting earnings per share of $2.64 on $16.59 billion in revenue and $3.19 billion in operating income for expected y-o-y growth of 9%, 5%, and 11%, respectively. If IBM hits the +5% consensus revenue estimate for Q2 '25, it will be the first time the stock has seen +5% revenue growth in any quarter since September '23.
IBM's Q2 Consulting revenue may see modest gains, driven by digital deals with Deutsche Bank and Finanz Informatik.
IBM's Q2 results may get a lift from surging Software revenues, driven by watsonx.ai, acquisitions and new AI labs.
Despite expectations for a mixed second quarter, some analysts are staying confident on IBM's software segment
There's still plenty of room for growth as the AI race continues to unfold. Still, some growth investors are already moving on to the next revolutionary technological leap with various quantum computing stocks.
I reiterate my buy rating on IBM, driven by a strong margin expansion potential in FQ2 compared to Q1. I further expect the expansion to continue for the next few years, driven by a few key catalysts. The top ones, as I see them, are the growth potential in software (in particular cloud and AI segments) and cost control discipline.
The two collaborated on research showing that quantum computing could greatly aid the design of mRNA-based medicines and treatments.
In the closing of the recent trading day, IBM (IBM) stood at $285.87, denoting a +1.37% move from the preceding trading day.
IBM heads into Q2 earnings with flat estimates, premium valuation and rising cloud-AI ambitions amid tough competition.