IBM vs MSFT vs ORCL Stock Comparison

International Business Machines, Microsoft and Oracle 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
7 wins
ORCL Oracle Corp
$126.08 -12.8% 1M -55.0% 1Y
Market cap
$373.36B
P/E
19.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$71.78B
Div. yield
0.02%
ERP Software Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

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

QuestionIBMMSFTORCLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $238.12B $3.96T $373.36B MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.2x 29.6x 19.8x ORCL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 19.4x 25.7x 14.7x ORCL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.9% +17.8% +21.6% ORCL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.5% 40.3% 26.2% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.3% 26.7% 11.0% MSFT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.2x 2.6x MSFT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.01% 0.02% IBM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -11.0% +0.8% -55.0% MSFT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.7%/yr +11.2%/yr +5.1%/yr IBM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 51.3% 32.7% 56.9% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 79/100 54/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

IBMMSFTORCL

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

AxisIBMMSFTORCL
Valuation 76 #10 of 38 54 #18 of 38 56 #45 of 101
Growth 60 #15 of 36 77 #9 of 36 65 #35 of 97
Profitability 91 #4 of 34 97 #2 of 34 87 #13 of 94
Financial Health 38 #24 of 38 84 #7 of 38 40 #66 of 109
Shareholder Returns 71 #7 of 22 81 #5 of 22 21 #51 of 64
Overall 67 79 54
  • IBM ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • ORCL ranked among 114 companies in Business Applications

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodIBMMSFTORCLSPY
1 month +8.9%+4.8%-12.8% -1.0%
3 months +18.4%+37.4%+9.6% +2.9%
6 months +9.3%+23.5%-27.2% +6.4%
Year to date -14.4%+8.5%-35.3% +11.4%
1 year -11.0%+0.8%-55.0% +13.1%
3 years +84.0%+58.7%+22.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year +22.6%+16.7%+6.9% +21.5%
5 years +107.4%+69.7%+28.3% +67.7%
5 years, per year +15.7%+11.2%+5.1% +10.9%
10 years +77.3%+779.2%+232.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +5.9%+24.3%+12.8% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureIBMMSFTORCLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 51.3%32.7%56.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 59.9%30.9%56.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.881.002.22 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.210.02-0.97 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.4%-37.6%-65.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -23.0%-3.5%-55.5% -2.5%
52-week high $329.23$543.45$283.33 $779.14
52-week low $205.96$352.83$115.01 $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.

MultipleIBMMSFTORCL
P/E now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 29.1x 29.1xmedian 29.1x 19.9xmedian 29.9x
P/S now vs peer median 3.5xmedian 4.5x 11.7xmedian 4.5x 5.3xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.9xmedian 21.5x 19.4xmedian 21.5x 13.8xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.3xmedian 17.3x 58.2xmedian 17.3x -13.3xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 3.9x 8.8xmedian 3.9x 5.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.31median 0.33 1.28median 0.33 0.84median 0.86

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 monthsIBMMSFTORCL
Revenue $69.10B $331.84B $71.78B
Gross profit $40.15B $225.47B –
Operating income $11.11B $155.24B $23.06B
Net income $10.73B $133.75B $18.92B
Free cash flow $13.79B $66.99B -$28.72B
R&D $8.75B $35.56B $10.18B
EPS (diluted) $11.25 $17.95 $6.27
Cash & equivalents $7.17B $20.94B $36.37B
Total debt $252.72B $164.03B $497.56B
Shares (diluted) 953.30M 7.45B 3.00B
Enterprise value $188.94B $3.88T $245.49B

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
MetricIBMMSFTORCL
P/E 22.3x 29.1x 19.9x
P/FCF 17.3x 58.2x -13.3x
P/Operating cash flow 16.0x 21.3x 8.1x
P/S 3.5x 11.7x 5.3x
P/B 6.9x 8.8x 5.7x
P/Tangible book 11.6x 9.2x 5.7x
EV/EBITDA 17.9x 19.4x 13.8x
EV/EBIT 26.3x 24.9x 20.4x
EV/Revenue 4.2x 11.6x 6.5x
EV/FCF 21.2x 57.6x -16.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.7x 21.1x 10.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.31 1.28 0.84

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTORCL
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.9% 17.8% 21.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 16.1% 12.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.9% 16.3% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 15.6% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.6% 20.8% 28.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.5% 20.6% 18.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 83.9% 31.3% 52.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 74.3% 22.7% 26.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 82.8% 31.6% 46.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 72.3% 22.8% 23.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.1% 34.4% 118.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 27.8% 38.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.7% -6.5% -388.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 4.0% -71.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTORCL
Gross margin 58.1% 67.9% –
EBITDA margin 23.6% 59.9% 47.3%
Operating margin 16.1% 46.8% 32.1%
Pretax margin 15.1% 50.0% 30.3%
Net margin 15.5% 40.3% 26.2%
FCF margin 20.0% 20.2% -40.0%
Operating cash flow margin 21.5% 55.1% 65.4%
Return on equity 31.7% 31.2% 34.3%
Return on assets 7.0% 18.4% 6.7%
Return on invested capital 11.3% 26.7% 11.0%
Return on capital employed 9.4% 27.8% 9.8%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.5x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.4x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue 2.7% 3.7% 6.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTORCL
Debt / assets 40.8% 5.3% 41.3%
Debt / equity 1.8x 0.1x 1.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.3x -0.2x 2.6x
Debt / FCF 4.5x 0.6x -4.4x
Liabilities / assets 77.3% 41.7% 77.8%
Equity / assets 22.7% 58.3% 22.2%
Interest coverage 5.8x 50.9x 4.5x
Current ratio 0.8x 1.2x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.4x 0.9x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.5x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 3.29 9.18 1.48

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIBMMSFTORCL
Dividend yield 2.7% 0.7% 1.6%
Net buyback yield -0.3% 0.5% -5.3%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 1.2% -3.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 58.8% 19.8% 31.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) 45.8% 39.5% -20.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.7% 9.8% 17.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 10.1% 15.1%

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.

ConsensusIBMMSFTORCL
Forward P/E 19.4xFY2026 25.7xFY2027 14.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.05FY2026 $20.38FY2027 $8.57FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +12.6%FY2026 +17.9%FY2027 +12.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -1.8% +11.5% +23.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $66.19BFY2026 $402.02BFY2027 $95.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -2.0%FY2026 +21.1%FY2027 +41.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.9% +12.7% +45.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIBMMSFTORCL
Held by institutions 65.1% 73.9% 44.7%
Institutions holding 3,632 6,227 3,495
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.5% +3.3% +6.5%
Institutions buying 1,973 3,432 1,807
Institutions selling 1,226 2,425 1,308
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.42 1.38

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.

IBMMSFTORCL
IBM 1.00 0.26 0.24
MSFT 0.26 1.00 0.47
ORCL 0.24 0.47 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IBM, MSFT and ORCL?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: International Business Machines (IBM) $238.12B, Microsoft (MSFT) $3.96T, Oracle (ORCL) $373.36B.

Which stock is cheaper, IBM, MSFT and ORCL?

Oracle (ORCL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (International Business Machines (IBM) 22.2x, Microsoft (MSFT) 29.6x, Oracle (ORCL) 19.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Oracle (ORCL) is cheapest (International Business Machines (IBM) 19.4x, Microsoft (MSFT) 25.7x, Oracle (ORCL) 14.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Oracle (ORCL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: International Business Machines (IBM) +7.9%, Microsoft (MSFT) +17.8%, Oracle (ORCL) +21.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (International Business Machines (IBM) 15.5%, Microsoft (MSFT) 40.3%, Oracle (ORCL) 26.2%). On return on invested capital, Microsoft (MSFT) leads (International Business Machines (IBM) 11.3%, Microsoft (MSFT) 26.7%, Oracle (ORCL) 11.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Microsoft (MSFT) returned the most: International Business Machines (IBM) -11.0%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%, Oracle (ORCL) -55.0%. Over five years, International Business Machines (IBM) compounded fastest (International Business Machines (IBM) +15.7%/yr, Microsoft (MSFT) +11.2%/yr, Oracle (ORCL) +5.1%/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%, Oracle (ORCL) 0.02%.

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%, Oracle (ORCL) 56.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.