November 21, 2024
Top 10 Stock IBM Strong Buy Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: IBM – Top 10 Stock in Diversity Leaders in United States


ibm.com


IBM is listed as a top 10 stock on November 21, 2024 in the market index Diversity USA because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, it is a solid investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is low. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 80 (top 80% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for IBM on November 21, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country USA
Industry IT Consulting & oth. Services
Index Dow Jones, Artificial Intelligence, Dividends USA, Diversity USA, Renewables Users, Recycling, S&P 500
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View IBM Strong Buy

360 METRICS November 21, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock IBM are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for IBM. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 89, which means that the share price of IBM is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 89% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 55, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth, as well as stock returns. In addition, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 67. But the company’s financing is risky with a Safety rank of 35. This means 65% of comparable companies have a safer financing structure than IBM. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 80, IBM is better positioned than 80% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 89), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 55), and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 67), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited, and disappointments are less likely, unless information not publicly available. Only the company financing structure is on the riskier side (Safety Rank of 35), but that would also mean better returns for shareholders if things work out well. Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. If they have been growing above average and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of IBM is as difficult as the low price of the stock, despite good growth and positive professional investor sentiment, suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible right now, which may indicate good timing. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for IBM positive

SENTIMENT METRICS November 21, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock IBM is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for IBM. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 31 (worse than 69% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 66, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in IBM. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 85, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 85% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 88, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 88% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 67 (more positive than 67% compared with investment alternatives), IBM has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: IBM Stock Price Value at the top

VALUE METRICS November 21, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives) for 2024, IBM shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for IBM. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 52, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 52% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning IBM's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 67% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 99 (dividends are expected to be higher than 99% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 66% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for IBM to 34. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 89, is a buy recommendation based on IBM's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. ...read more



Growth Strategy: IBM Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS November 21, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), IBM shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for IBM. Capital Growth has a rank of 76, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 32% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 69 (above 69% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 27, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 73% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 32. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for IBM, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: IBM Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS November 21, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), the company IBM has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of IBM is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for IBM. Liquidity is at 73, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 73% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 25, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 75% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 22, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 78% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with alternatives), IBM has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: IBM Above-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE November 21, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with investment alternatives), IBM (IT Consulting & oth. Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of IBM are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 55) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 35), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 72, is a buy recommendation based on IBM's financial characteristics. As the company IBM's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 89) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 55), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 35) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more

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