International Business Machines (XSWX:IBM) Owner Earnings per Share (TTM): 9.91 (As of Mar. 2026) — 12% Below Median


XSWX:IBM International Business Machines Corp XSWX:IBM
69 GF Score
Price CHF230.15
GF Value CHF187.83
Valuation Modestly Overvalued
! 3 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is International Business Machines Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)?

International Business Machines XSWX:IBM 69 Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 9.91 as of Mar. 2026, which is 12% below its 10-year median of 11.27. GuruFocus rates XSWX:IBM with a GF Score™ of 69/100 and a GF Value™ of CHF187.83 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,219 Software companies, International Business Machines ranks worse than 61.03% on this metric.

In 1986 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter, Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as follows:

"These represent (a) reported earnings plus (b) depreciation, depletion, amortization, and certain other non-cash charges...less (c) the average annual amount of capitalized expenditures for plant and equipment, etc. that the business requires to fully maintain its long-term competitive position and its unit volume (If the business requires additional working capital to maintain its competitive position and unit volume, the increment also should be included in (c))...Our owner-earnings equation does not yield the deceptively precise figures provided by GAAP, since (c) must be a guess - and one sometimes very difficult to make. Despite this problem, we consider the owner earnings figure, not the GAAP figure, to be the relevant item for valuation purposes - both for investors in buying stocks and for managers in buying entire businesses...All of this points up the absurdity of the 'cash flow' numbers that are often set forth in Wall Street reports. These numbers routinely include (a) plus (b) - but do not subtract (c)."

International Business Machines's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF9.91. It's Price-to-Owner-Earnings ratio for today is 23.22.


The historical rank and industry rank for International Business Machines's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) or its related term are showing as below:

XSWX:IBM' s Price-to-Owner-Earnings Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 5.87   Med: 11.27   Max: 85.99
Current: 23.22


During the past 13 years, the highest Price-to-Owner-Earnings ratio of International Business Machines was 85.99. The lowest was 5.87. And the median was 11.27.


XSWX:IBM's Price-to-Owner-Earnings is ranked worse than
61.03% of 1219 companies
in the Software industry
Industry Median: 16.95 vs XSWX:IBM: 23.22

International Business Machines's Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the three months ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF1.01. Its Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF9.04. It's PE Ratio (TTM) ratio for today is 25.47.

International Business Machines's EPS without NRI for the three months ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF1.50. Its EPS without NRI for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF9.49. It's PE Ratio without NRI ratio for today is 24.24.


Be Aware

Assumption: Companies usually do not report maintenance capital expenditures and growth capital expenditures separately. Here we use estimated numbers and average them over 5 years. The method to estimate maintenance capital expenditures can be found in above part 4.

Note: GuruFocus' Change In Working Capital is provided by Morningstar. It is calculated by adding the items under "Change in operating assets and liabilities" (may refer to a different name for different company) section in Cash Flow Statement from original financial report. And it includes non-current parts of assets and liabilities.


International Business Machines Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Related Terms


International Business Machines Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for International Business Machines's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

International Business Machines Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Chart

International Business Machines Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 12.81 4.18 0.00 0.00 0.00

International Business Machines Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.79

XSWX:IBM vs ACN, FISV, FIS: Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Comparison

For the Information Technology Services subindustry, International Business Machines's Price-to-Owner-Earnings, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Owner-Earnings data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


International Business Machines Price-to-Owner-Earnings vs Software Industry

For the Software industry and Technology sector, International Business Machines's Price-to-Owner-Earnings distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where International Business Machines's Price-to-Owner-Earnings falls into.


XSWX:IBM
69GF Score
International Business Machines Corp XSWX:IBM
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

International Business Machines Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Calculation

In 1986 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter, Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as follows:

"These represent (a) reported earnings plus (b) depreciation, depletion, amortization, and certain other non-cash charges...less (c) the average annual amount of capitalized expenditures for plant and equipment, etc. that the business requires to fully maintain its long-term competitive position and its unit volume. (If the business requires additional working capital to maintain its competitive position and unit volume, the increment also should be included in (c))...Our owner-earnings equation does not yield the deceptively precise figures provided by GAAP, since (c) must be a guess - and one sometimes very difficult to make. Despite this problem, we consider the owner earnings figure, not the GAAP figure, to be the relevant item for valuation purposes - both for investors in buying stocks and for managers in buying entire businesses...All of this points up the absurdity of the 'cash flow' numbers that are often set forth in Wall Street reports. These numbers routinely include (a) plus (b) - but do not subtract (c)."

To make it simple, then you will have:

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) = (Net Income + Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization + Change In Deferred Tax - 5Y Average of Maintenance Capital Expenditure + Change In Working Capital) / Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)

International Business Machines's Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) Calculation:

TTM / Last Quarter Average of Last 20 Quarters
Net Income 8,593
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization 4,086
Change In Deferred Tax 0
5Y Average of Maintenance Capital Expenditure 1,161
Change In Working Capital -2,218
Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) 952

1. Start with "Net Income" from income statement. International Business Machines's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF8,593 Mil.

2. "Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization" is from cashflow statement. International Business Machines's Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF4,086 Mil. This needs to be added back because company does not actually need to pay cash for it. It is a non-cash item.

3. Other non-cash charges usually include "Stock Based Compensation" and "Change In Deferred Tax":
However, to be conservative, GuruFocus will not add Stock Based Compensation back to net income. International Business Machines's Change In Deferred Tax for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF0 Mil.

4. Average maintenance capital expenditure over a business/industry cycle: 5-Year Average Maintenance Capital Expenditure = CHF1,161 Mil

It is usually best to take a long-term average of maintenance capital expenditure. Ideally this would be as long as 10 years and include at least one economic downturn. However, since many companies do not have as long as 10-year history, here GuruFocus uses the latest 5 years data to do the calculation. To smooth out unusual years but reflect recent developments, we take an average of the 5 year maintenance capital expenditure.

The following shows how to get maintenance capital expenditure.

First, calculate the revenue change regarding to the previous quarter. If the revenue decreased from the previous quarter, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
Second, if the revenue increased from the previous quarter, then calculate the percentage of Net PPE as of corresponding Revenue.
Growth Capital Expenditure = Percentage of Property, Plant and Equipment as of corresponding Revenue * Revenue Increase
Third, calculate Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure.
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure] was negative, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive).
If [Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure] was positive, then the Maintenance Capital Expenditure = Capital Expenditure (positive) - Growth Capital Expenditure.
Fourth, get the average of the 5 years maintenance capital expenditure.

International Business Machines's 5-Year Average Maintenance Capital Expenditure = CHF1,161 Mil

5. "Change In Working Capital" is from cashflow statement. International Business Machines's Change In Working Capital for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was CHF-2,218 Mil.
Note: GuruFocus' Change in Working Capital is provided by Morningstar. It is calculated by adding the items under "Change in operating assets and liabilities" (may refer to a different name for different company) section in Cash Flow Statement from original financial report. And sometimes it includes non-current parts of assets and liabilities.

6. International Business Machines's Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) for the months ended in Mar. 2026 was 952.100 Mil.

International Business Machines's Onwer Earnings Per Share for Mar. 2026 is calculated as:

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
=( Net Income+Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization+Change In Deferred Tax
=( 8592.556 +4085.896+0
-5Y Avg of Maintenance CAPEX+Change In Working Capital )/Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average)
-1160.6135919456+-2218.193)/952.100
=9.91

Price-to-Owner-Earnings=Current Price/Owner Earnings per Share (TTM)
=230.15/9.91
=23.22

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

What does a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 9.91 mean?
International Business Machines (XSWX:IBM) has a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 9.91 as of Mar. 2026. Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as reported earnings plus depreciation less average maintenance capital expenditure. View historical data on International Business Machines. This is 12% below median its historical median of 11.27. Over the past decade, International Business Machines' Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) has ranged from 5.87 to 85.99. According to the industry distribution chart, International Business Machines ranks #744 out of 1219 companies in the Software industry, placing it in the top 61%.
Is International Business Machines' Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) too high?
International Business Machines' current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 9.91 is 12% below median its 10-year median of 11.27. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 5.87 to a high of 85.99. The Software industry median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 16.95. International Business Machines' value of 9.91 is 41.5% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, International Business Machines ranks #744 out of 1219 companies in the Software industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, International Business Machines has a GF Score™ of 69/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does International Business Machines' Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) compare to ACN and FISV?
According to the Software industry distribution chart, International Business Machines ranks #744 out of 1219 companies for Owner Earnings per Share (TTM). This places International Business Machines in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 16.95. International Business Machines' value of 9.91 is 41.5% below this benchmark. Historically, International Business Machines' own Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) has ranged from 5.87 to 85.99 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 11.27 vs. the industry median of 16.95, International Business Machines has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) for a Software company?
The median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) among Software companies is 16.95, based on 1,219 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. International Business Machines's current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) of 9.91 is 41.5% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) mean?
A high Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Warren Buffett defined owner earnings as reported earnings plus depreciation less average maintenance capital expenditure. View historical data on International Business Machines. For the Software industry, the median Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 16.95 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. International Business Machines's current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 9.91, which is 12% below median its own 10-year median of 11.27. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is International Business Machines stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, International Business Machines (XSWX:IBM) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is CHF187.83, compared to a current price of CHF230.15 — trading 22.5% above its estimated fair value. The current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 9.91, which is 12% below median its 10-year median of 11.27 and 41.5% below the Software industry median of 16.95. International Business Machines' overall GF Score™ is 69/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) calculated?
Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For International Business Machines (XSWX:IBM), the current Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is 9.91 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is International Business Machines (XSWX:IBM) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, International Business Machines stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of CHF230.15 is trading 22.5% above its estimated GF Value™ of CHF187.83. GuruFocus considers International Business Machines to be Modestly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for XSWX:IBM:

  • Owner Earnings per Share (TTM): 9.91 (12% below median its 10-year median of 11.27)
  • GF Value™: CHF187.83 vs. price of CHF230.15 (22.5% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 69/100 with 3 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 41.5% below the Software median (#744 of 1219)

No single metric tells the full story. See the XSWX:IBM stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


International Business Machines Business Description

Address One New Orchard Road, Armonk, NY, USA, 10504
Incorporated in 1911, International Business Machines, or IBM, is one of the oldest technology companies in the world. It provides software, IT consulting services, and hardware to help business customers modernize their technology workflows. IBM operates in 175 countries and employs approximately 300,000 people. The company has a robust roster of business partners to service its clients, which includes 95% of all Fortune 500 companies. IBM's products, including Red Hat, watsonx, and mainframes, handle some of the world's most important data workloads in areas like finance and retail.
69GF Score

Get the complete analysis for XSWX:IBM

Owner Earnings per Share (TTM) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

CHF230.15
Price
CHF187.83
GF Value