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 how efficiently does International Business Machines generate cash to assess how effectively this company generates cash.
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 IBM cash reinvestment to operating cash ratio to assess the company's total reinvestment commitment from operating cash flow.
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 International Business Machines market capitalisation.
| 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 | — |