IBM vs MSFT vs NFLX Stock Comparison

International Business Machines, Microsoft and Netflix Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSFT Microsoft Corp
$520.99 +0.7% 1M +0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$4.12T
P/E
28.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$346.45B
Div. yield
0.01%
Cloud Platforms Technology
7 wins
NFLX Netflix Inc
$63.42 -5.4% 1M -42.4% 1Y
Market cap
$275.36B
P/E
18.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$49.73B
Div. yield
–
Streaming Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Microsoft leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Microsoft 7, Netflix 3, International Business Machines 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIBMMSFTNFLXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $240.48B $4.12T $275.36B MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 21.5x 28.9x 18.6x NFLX
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.0x 25.6x 18.5x NFLX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.8% +17.9% +14.7% MSFT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.0% 41.2% 29.7% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.5% 26.5% 29.2% NFLX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x -0.1x 0.2x MSFT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.01% 0.00% IBM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% +0.8% -42.4% MSFT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.6%/yr +9.1%/yr -1.0%/yr IBM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 50.8% 32.7% 36.3% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 64/100 80/100 66/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

IBMMSFTNFLX

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

AxisIBMMSFTNFLX
Valuation 78 #9 of 38 62 #15 of 38 41 #98 of 166
Growth 40 #22 of 36 77 #9 of 36 78 #35 of 154
Profitability 91 #4 of 34 97 #2 of 34 96 #7 of 154
Financial Health 38 #24 of 38 84 #7 of 38 53 #85 of 179
Shareholder Returns 71 #7 of 22 81 #5 of 22 64 #36 of 97
Overall 64 80 66
  • IBM ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • NFLX ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodIBMMSFTNFLXSPY
1 month +12.2%+0.7%-5.4% -2.0%
3 months +6.3%+5.7%-13.8% -2.2%
6 months +9.1%+26.6%-27.8% +4.2%
Year to date -15.7%+7.7%-32.4% +10.6%
1 year -18.0%+0.8%-42.4% +10.4%
3 years +68.9%+47.7%+46.7% +73.6%
3 years, per year +19.1%+13.9%+13.6% +20.2%
5 years +106.7%+54.9%-5.1% +61.6%
5 years, per year +15.6%+9.1%-1.0% +10.1%
10 years +71.5%+779.9%+419.4% +261.3%
10 years, per year +5.5%+24.3%+17.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureIBMMSFTNFLXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 50.8%32.7%36.3% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 59.7%30.8%37.2% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.820.990.19 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.360.02-1.17 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.4%-37.6%-75.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -24.1%-4.1%-45.2% -3.2%
52-week high $329.23$543.45$115.75 $779.14
52-week low $205.96$352.83$61.76 $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.

MultipleIBMMSFTNFLX
P/E now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 27.1x 27.1xmedian 27.1x 17.8xmedian 17.5x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 4.1x 11.2xmedian 4.1x 5.2xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 21.7x 18.7xmedian 21.7x 8.0xmedian 15.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 16.1xmedian 16.1x 64.5xmedian 16.1x 22.9xmedian 12.1x
P/B now vs peer median 6.5xmedian 3.4x 8.2xmedian 3.4x 8.9xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.32median 0.37 1.19median 0.37 0.34median 0.37

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 monthsIBMMSFTNFLX
Revenue $69.87B $346.45B $49.73B
Gross profit $40.50B $234.39B $25.21B
Operating income $11.30B $163.19B $15.56B
Net income $11.17B $142.63B $14.77B
Free cash flow $14.66B $59.96B $11.38B
R&D $9.05B $36.46B $3.89B
EPS (diluted) $11.72 $19.16 $3.52
Cash & equivalents $9.23B $20.28B $8.19B
Total debt $63.82B $35.48B $15.13B
Shares (diluted) 953.52M 7.45B 4.20B
Enterprise value $195.09B $4.05T $236.65B

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
MetricIBMMSFTNFLX
P/E 21.1x 27.1x 17.8x
P/FCF 16.1x 64.5x 22.9x
P/Operating cash flow 14.9x 19.8x 21.2x
P/S 3.4x 11.2x 5.2x
P/B 6.5x 8.2x 8.9x
P/Tangible book 10.4x 8.5x 8.9x
EV/EBITDA 17.4x 18.7x 8.0x
EV/EBIT 25.6x 23.5x 17.2x
EV/Revenue 4.1x 11.1x 5.4x
EV/FCF 19.7x 64.1x 23.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.2x 19.6x 21.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.32 1.19 0.34

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTNFLX
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.8% 17.9% 14.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 16.6% 15.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.1% 16.0% 20.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.4% 15.6% 24.9%
Operating income growth (1Y) 10.9% 20.0% 23.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 20.2% 37.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 41.3% 36.0% 41.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 17.3% 22.8% 48.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 40.6% 36.3% 46.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.0% 22.8% 51.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 17.4% 33.2% 28.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 27.3% 26.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 17.5% -23.1% 26.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.7% -1.8% 26.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTNFLX
Gross margin 58.0% 67.7% 50.7%
EBITDA margin 23.8% 59.3% 67.3%
Operating margin 16.2% 47.1% 31.3%
Pretax margin 15.0% 51.3% 35.6%
Net margin 16.0% 41.2% 29.7%
FCF margin 21.0% 17.3% 22.9%
Operating cash flow margin 22.7% 56.5% 24.7%
Return on equity 31.6% 31.2% 49.7%
Return on assets 7.3% 18.6% 25.2%
Return on invested capital 11.5% 26.5% 29.2%
Return on capital employed 9.7% 26.5% 33.6%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 2.8% 3.6% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTNFLX
Debt / assets 41.2% 4.6% 25.8%
Debt / equity 1.8x 0.1x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x -0.1x 0.2x
Debt / FCF 4.4x 0.6x 1.3x
Liabilities / assets 76.6% 39.6% 50.1%
Equity / assets 23.4% 60.4% 49.9%
Interest coverage 5.9x 50.6x 18.2x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.2x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.4x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 3.26 9.34 8.36

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTNFLX
Dividend yield 2.7% 0.7% –
Net buyback yield -0.3% 0.5% 4.8%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 1.2% 4.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 56.7% 19.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 43.2% 45.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.8% 9.5% –
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.

ConsensusIBMMSFTNFLX
Forward P/E 19.0xFY2026 25.6xFY2027 18.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.14FY2026 $20.39FY2027 $3.43FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +13.4%FY2026 +18.0%FY2027 +35.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -1.8% +11.6% +6.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $66.37BFY2026 $402.39BFY2027 $54.15BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.7%FY2026 +21.3%FY2027 +19.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.8% +12.9% +10.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIBMMSFTNFLX
Held by institutions 65.1% 73.9% 80.9%
Institutions holding 3,639 6,236 3,363
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +3.3% +2.2%
Institutions buying 1,976 3,437 1,692
Institutions selling 1,228 2,429 1,369
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.41 1.24

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.

IBMMSFTNFLX
IBM 1.00 0.27 0.17
MSFT 0.27 1.00 0.23
NFLX 0.17 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IBM, MSFT and NFLX?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: International Business Machines (IBM) $240.48B, Microsoft (MSFT) $4.12T, Netflix (NFLX) $275.36B.

Which stock is cheaper, IBM, MSFT and NFLX?

Netflix (NFLX) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (International Business Machines (IBM) 21.5x, Microsoft (MSFT) 28.9x, Netflix (NFLX) 18.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Netflix (NFLX) is cheapest (International Business Machines (IBM) 19.0x, Microsoft (MSFT) 25.6x, Netflix (NFLX) 18.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Microsoft (MSFT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: International Business Machines (IBM) +6.8%, Microsoft (MSFT) +17.9%, Netflix (NFLX) +14.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (International Business Machines (IBM) 16.0%, Microsoft (MSFT) 41.2%, Netflix (NFLX) 29.7%). On return on invested capital, Netflix (NFLX) leads (International Business Machines (IBM) 11.5%, Microsoft (MSFT) 26.5%, Netflix (NFLX) 29.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Microsoft (MSFT) returned the most: International Business Machines (IBM) -18.0%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%, Netflix (NFLX) -42.4%. Over five years, International Business Machines (IBM) compounded fastest (International Business Machines (IBM) +15.6%/yr, Microsoft (MSFT) +9.1%/yr, Netflix (NFLX) -1.0%/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%, Netflix (NFLX) 0.00%. Netflix (NFLX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (International Business Machines (IBM) 50.8%, Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%, Netflix (NFLX) 36.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 7. 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.