IBM Beats Estimates Yet Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

International Business Machines (NYS: IBM) reported earnings on Jan. 19. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), International Business Machines met expectations on revenue and beat slightly on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased slightly, and earnings per share grew.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
International Business Machines logged revenue of $29.5 billion. The 23 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see a top line of $29.7 billion. Sales were 1.6% higher than the prior-year quarter's $29.0 billion.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $4.71. The 25 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $4.62 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $4.62 for Q4 were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $4.18 per share.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 49.9%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 24.9%, 60 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 18.6%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $25.2 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.66.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $109.7 billion. The average EPS estimate is $14.78.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 3,982 members out of 4,399 rating the stock outperform, and 417 members rating it underperform. Among 1,002 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 943 give International Business Machines a green thumbs-up, and 59 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on International Business Machines is outperform, with an average price target of $195.08.

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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool owns shares of International Business Machines. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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