International Business Machines Corporation IBM reported mixed second-quarter 2023 results, wherein the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the top line missed the same. However, the company witnessed healthy demand for hybrid cloud and AI solutions with a client-focused portfolio and broad-based growth.
Net Income
On a GAAP basis, net income from continuing operations was $1,581 million or $1.72 per share compared with $1,465 million or $1.61 per share in the year-ago quarter. The improvement in GAAP earnings was primarily attributable to top-line growth and lower operating expenses.
Excluding non-recurring items, non-GAAP net income from continuing operations was $2.18 per share compared with $2.31 in the prior-year quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 18 cents.
International Business Machines Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise 
International Business Machines Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | International Business Machines Corporation Quote
Quarter Details
Quarterly total revenues decreased to $15,475 million from $15,535 million despite strong demand for hybrid cloud and AI, driving growth in the Software and Consulting segments. On a constant currency basis, revenues were up 0.4% year over year. The top line missed the consensus estimate of $15,541 million.
Gross profit was $8,501 million compared with $8,290 million in the prior-year quarter, resulting in respective gross margins of 54.9% and 53.4% owing to a strong portfolio mix. Total expenses decreased to $6,501 million from $6,568 million, driven by improvement in the business mix and ongoing productivity initiatives.
Segmental Performance
Software: Revenues improved to $6,608 million from $6,166 million, driven by growth in Hybrid Platform & Solutions, Red Hat, Data & AI and Transaction Processing. The reported segment revenues exceeded the consensus estimate of $6,352 million owing to solid hybrid cloud traction. Segment pre-tax income from continuing operations was $1,504 million compared with $1,375 million in the year-ago quarter for respective margins of 22.8% and 22.3%. The company is witnessing healthy hybrid cloud adoption by clients and solid demand trends across RedHat, automation and Data & AI.
Consulting: Revenues were $5,013 million, up from $4,809 million, led by pervasive growth driven by demand for digital transformation, increasing revenues across all business lines and regions. The reported segment revenues exceeded the consensus estimate of $4,903 million. Segment pre-tax income was $446 million compared with $343 million in the year-ago quarter, driven by productivity enhancement initiatives for respective margins of 8.9% and 7.1%.
Infrastructure: Revenues were $3,618 million, down from $4,235 million, owing to lower demand for zSystems and Distributed Infrastructure and support services. Segment pre-tax income was $633 million compared with $757 million in the year-ago quarter for respective margins of 17.5% and 17.9%.
Financing: Revenues improved to $185 million from $146 million. Segment pre-tax income was $64 million compared with $102 million in the year-ago quarter for respective margins of 34.9% and 69.7%.
Cash Flow & Liquidity
During the second quarter, IBM generated $2,638 million in cash from operations compared with $1,321 million in the year-ago quarter, bringing the respective tallies for the first six months of 2023 and 2022 to $6,412 million and $4,569 million. Free cash flow was $2,101 million in the quarter, up from $2,091 million in the prior-year period, driven by higher profit and working capital efficiencies. As of Jun 30, 2023, the company had $9,394 million in cash and cash equivalents with $50,691 million of long-term debt.
Outlook
For full-year 2023, the company expects 3-5% revenue growth on a constant currency basis. Free cash flow is estimated to be approximately $10.5 billion.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
IBM currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Here are some better-ranked stocks from the broader industry.
InterDigital, Inc. IDCC, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, delivered an earnings surprise of 170.89%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, it pulled off an earnings surprise of 579.03%. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 13.9%.
It is a pioneer in advanced mobile technologies that enables wireless communications and capabilities. The company engages in designing and developing a wide range of advanced technology solutions, which are used in digital cellular and wireless 3G, 4G and IEEE 802-related products and networks.
Akamai Technologies, Inc. AKAM, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), delivered an earnings surprise of 4.9%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 10%.
Akamai is a global provider of content delivery network and cloud infrastructure services. The company’s solutions accelerate and improve the delivery of content over the Internet, enabling faster response to requests for web pages, streaming of video & audio, business applications, etc. Akamai’s offerings are intended to reduce the impact of traffic congestion, bandwidth constraints and capacity limitations on customers.
Juniper Networks Inc. JNPR, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is a leading provider of networking solutions and communication devices. The company develops, designs and sells products that help to build network infrastructure used for services and applications based on a single Internet protocol network worldwide. Juniper offers a broad range of routing, switching and security products.
It delivered an earnings surprise of 5.2%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Juniper has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 7.3%. It has a VGM Score of A.
7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days
Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."
Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand-picked 7 your immediate attention.
See them now >>International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
