International Business Machines (IBM) — Cash Flow Quality Index
International Business Machines (IBM) has a Cash Flow Quality Index of 4.25x as of March 2026. Operating cash flow of $5.17 Billion exceeds net income of $1.22 Billion, indicating high earnings quality where cash backs reported profits. Explore International Business Machines strategic investment ratio to see how much of total assets are deployed in long-term investments.
Cash Flow Quality Index
Operating Cash Flow
Net Income
Data as of
International Business Machines Cash Flow Quality Index (1989–2025)
Historical Cash Flow Quality Index for International Business Machines across 34 annual periods. Values consistently above 1.0x indicate high-quality earnings. Check International Business Machines (IBM) tangible equity ratio to evaluate the tangible quality of the company's equity base.
Annual Cash Flow Quality Index for International Business Machines (1989–2025)
Year-by-year earnings quality comparison for International Business Machines. For live market cap and the full company financial profile, see market value of International Business Machines.
| Year | Quality Index | Operating CF (USD) | Net Income | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.25x | $13.19 Billion | $10.57 Billion | ▼ -44.1% |
| 2024 | 2.23x | $13.45 Billion | $6.02 Billion | ▲ +15.1% |
| 2023 | 1.94x | $13.43 Billion | $6.92 Billion | ▼ -69.5% |
| 2022 | 6.37x | $10.44 Billion | $1.64 Billion | ▲ +185.7% |
| 2021 | 2.23x | $12.80 Billion | $5.74 Billion | ▼ -31.6% |
| 2020 | 3.26x | $18.20 Billion | $5.59 Billion | ▲ +107.9% |
| 2019 | 1.57x | $14.77 Billion | $9.43 Billion | ▼ -10.3% |
| 2018 | 1.75x | $15.25 Billion | $8.73 Billion | ▼ -39.9% |
| 2017 | 2.91x | $16.72 Billion | $5.75 Billion | ▲ +102.0% |
| 2016 | 1.44x | $17.08 Billion | $11.87 Billion | ▲ +10.0% |
| 2015 | 1.31x | $17.25 Billion | $13.19 Billion | ▼ -6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.40x | $16.87 Billion | $12.02 Billion | ▲ +32.3% |
| 2013 | 1.06x | $17.48 Billion | $16.48 Billion | ▼ -10.1% |
| 2012 | 1.18x | $19.59 Billion | $16.60 Billion | ▼ -5.8% |
| 2011 | 1.25x | $19.85 Billion | $15.86 Billion | ▼ -5.0% |
| 2010 | 1.32x | $19.55 Billion | $14.83 Billion | ▼ -14.8% |
| 2009 | 1.55x | $20.77 Billion | $13.43 Billion | ▲ +1.5% |
| 2008 | 1.53x | $18.81 Billion | $12.33 Billion | ▼ -1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.54x | $16.09 Billion | $10.42 Billion | ▼ -2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.58x | $15.02 Billion | $9.49 Billion | ▼ -15.8% |
| 2005 | 1.88x | $14.91 Billion | $7.93 Billion | ▲ +2.9% |
| 2004 | 1.83x | $15.41 Billion | $8.43 Billion | ▼ -3.8% |
| 2003 | 1.90x | $14.41 Billion | $7.58 Billion | ▼ -26.5% |
| 2002 | 2.58x | $13.79 Billion | $5.33 Billion | ▲ +50.2% |
| 2001 | 1.72x | $14.02 Billion | $8.15 Billion | ▲ +50.2% |
| 2000 | 1.15x | $9.27 Billion | $8.09 Billion | ▼ -12.6% |
| 1999 | 1.31x | $10.11 Billion | $7.71 Billion | ▼ -10.5% |
| 1998 | 1.47x | $9.27 Billion | $6.33 Billion | ▲ +0.7% |
| 1997 | 1.45x | $8.87 Billion | $6.09 Billion | ▼ -23.1% |
| 1996 | 1.89x | $10.28 Billion | $5.43 Billion | ▼ -26.2% |
| 1995 | 2.56x | $10.71 Billion | $4.18 Billion | ▼ -34.3% |
| 1994 | 3.90x | $11.79 Billion | $3.02 Billion | ▲ +214.5% |
| 1990 | 1.24x | $7.47 Billion | $6.02 Billion | ▼ -36.7% |
| 1989 | 1.96x | $7.37 Billion | $3.76 Billion | — |