IBM vs MSFT vs DOCN Stock Comparison

International Business Machines, Microsoft and DigitalOcean Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSFT Microsoft Corp
$524.51 +4.8% 1M +0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.96T
P/E
29.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$331.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Cloud Platforms Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Microsoft leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Microsoft 6, International Business Machines 4, DigitalOcean Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIBMMSFTDOCNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $238.12B $3.96T $10.41B MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.2x 29.6x 44.3x IBM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.4x 25.7x 68.5x IBM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.9% +17.8% +21.4% DOCN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.5% 40.3% 23.3% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.3% 26.7% 8.2% MSFT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.2x 0.5x MSFT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.01% 0.00% IBM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -11.0% +0.8% +135.3% DOCN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.7%/yr +11.2%/yr -0.2%/yr IBM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 51.3% 32.7% 85.3% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 79/100 59/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

IBMMSFTDOCN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIBMMSFTDOCN
Valuation 76 #10 of 38 54 #18 of 38 41 #23 of 38
Growth 60 #15 of 36 77 #9 of 36 83 #7 of 36
Profitability 91 #4 of 34 97 #2 of 34 85 #6 of 34
Financial Health 38 #24 of 38 84 #7 of 38 54 #18 of 38
Shareholder Returns 71 #7 of 22 81 #5 of 22 33 #15 of 22
Overall 67 79 59
  • IBM ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • DOCN ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIBMMSFTDOCNSPY
1 month +8.9%+4.8%-34.0% -1.0%
3 months +18.4%+37.4%-24.6% +2.9%
6 months +9.3%+23.5%-2.1% +6.4%
Year to date -14.4%+8.5%+93.7% +11.4%
1 year -11.0%+0.8%+135.3% +13.1%
3 years +84.0%+58.7%+319.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year +22.6%+16.7%+61.3% +21.5%
5 years +107.4%+69.7%-0.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +15.7%+11.2%-0.2% +10.9%
10 years +77.3%+779.2%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +5.9%+24.3%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureIBMMSFTDOCNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 51.3%32.7%85.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 59.9%30.9%73.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.881.002.68 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.210.021.59 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.4%-37.6%-84.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.0%-3.5%-48.6% -2.5%
52-week high $329.23$543.45$181.29 $779.14
52-week low $205.96$352.83$37.94 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIBMMSFTDOCN
P/E now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 29.1x 29.1xmedian 29.1x 41.4xmedian 29.1x
P/S now vs peer median 3.5xmedian 4.5x 11.7xmedian 4.5x 9.7xmedian 4.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.9xmedian 21.5x 19.4xmedian 21.5x 30.9xmedian 21.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.3xmedian 17.3x 58.2xmedian 17.3x 608.5xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 3.9x 8.8xmedian 3.9x 10.5xmedian 3.9x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 0.33 1.28median 0.33 0.32median 0.33

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIBMMSFTDOCN
Revenue $69.10B $331.84B $1.01B
Gross profit $40.15B $225.47B $578.58M
Operating income $11.11B $155.24B $149.67M
Net income $10.73B $133.75B $235.24M
Free cash flow $13.79B $66.99B $16.08M
R&D $8.75B $35.56B $188.73M
EPS (diluted) $11.25 $17.95 $1.86
Cash & equivalents $7.17B $20.94B $767.03M
Total debt $252.72B $164.03B $921.05M
Shares (diluted) 953.30M 7.45B 126.55M
Enterprise value $188.94B $3.88T $8.41B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTDOCN
P/E 22.3x 29.1x 41.4x
P/FCF 17.3x 58.2x 608.5x
P/Operating cash flow 16.0x 21.3x 31.6x
P/S 3.5x 11.7x 9.7x
P/B 6.9x 8.8x 10.5x
P/Tangible book 11.6x 9.2x 11.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.9x 19.4x 30.9x
EV/EBIT 26.3x 24.9x 66.4x
EV/Revenue 4.2x 11.6x 9.8x
EV/FCF 21.2x 57.6x 618.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.7x 21.1x 32.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 1.28 0.32

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTDOCN
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.9% 17.8% 21.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 16.1% 15.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.9% 16.3% 15.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 15.6% 14.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.6% 20.8% 14.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 20.6% 80.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 83.9% 31.3% 86.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 74.3% 22.7% 147.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 82.8% 31.6% 47.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 72.3% 22.8% 129.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.1% 34.4% 2.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 27.8% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.7% -6.5% -84.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 4.0% -48.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTDOCN
Gross margin 58.1% 67.9% 57.2%
EBITDA margin 23.6% 59.9% 31.8%
Operating margin 16.1% 46.8% 14.8%
Pretax margin 15.1% 50.0% 17.3%
Net margin 15.5% 40.3% 23.3%
FCF margin 20.0% 20.2% 1.6%
Operating cash flow margin 21.5% 55.1% 30.7%
Return on equity 31.7% 31.2% 25.9%
Return on assets 7.0% 18.4% 8.3%
Return on invested capital 11.3% 26.7% 8.2%
Return on capital employed 9.4% 27.8% 7.2%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.7% 3.7% 9.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTDOCN
Debt / assets 40.8% 5.3% 29.5%
Debt / equity 1.8x 0.1x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.2x 0.5x
Debt / FCF 4.5x 0.6x 57.3x
Liabilities / assets 77.3% 41.7% 70.2%
Equity / assets 22.7% 58.3% 29.8%
Interest coverage 5.8x 50.9x 4.8x
Current ratio 0.8x 1.2x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.4x 0.9x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.5x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 3.29 9.18 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTDOCN
Dividend yield 2.7% 0.7% –
Net buyback yield -0.3% 0.5% -9.1%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 1.2% -9.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 58.8% 19.8% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 45.8% 39.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.7% 9.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 10.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIBMMSFTDOCN
Forward P/E 19.4xFY2026 25.7xFY2027 68.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.05FY2026 $20.38FY2027 $1.36FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +12.6%FY2026 +17.9%FY2027 -35.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -1.8% +11.5% +26.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $66.19BFY2026 $402.02BFY2027 $1.11BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.0%FY2026 +21.1%FY2027 +23.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.9% +12.7% +52.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIBMMSFTDOCN
Held by institutions 65.1% 73.9% 91.0%
Institutions holding 3,632 6,227 566
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +3.3% -0.9%
Institutions buying 1,973 3,432 331
Institutions selling 1,226 2,425 187
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.42 1.77

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IBMMSFTDOCN
IBM 1.00 0.26 0.06
MSFT 0.26 1.00 0.15
DOCN 0.06 0.15 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IBM, MSFT and DOCN?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: International Business Machines (IBM) $238.12B, Microsoft (MSFT) $3.96T, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) $10.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, IBM, MSFT and DOCN?

International Business Machines (IBM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (International Business Machines (IBM) 22.2x, Microsoft (MSFT) 29.6x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 44.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, International Business Machines (IBM) is cheapest (International Business Machines (IBM) 19.4x, Microsoft (MSFT) 25.7x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 68.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: International Business Machines (IBM) +7.9%, Microsoft (MSFT) +17.8%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +21.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (International Business Machines (IBM) 15.5%, Microsoft (MSFT) 40.3%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 23.3%). On return on invested capital, Microsoft (MSFT) leads (International Business Machines (IBM) 11.3%, Microsoft (MSFT) 26.7%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 8.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) returned the most: International Business Machines (IBM) -11.0%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +135.3%. Over five years, International Business Machines (IBM) compounded fastest (International Business Machines (IBM) +15.7%/yr, Microsoft (MSFT) +11.2%/yr, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) -0.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

International Business Machines (IBM) has the highest dividend yield: International Business Machines (IBM) 0.03%, Microsoft (MSFT) 0.01%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 0.00%. DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (International Business Machines (IBM) 51.3%, Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 85.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IBM, MSFT and DOCN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Microsoft (MSFT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.