ACN vs IBM: Accenture and International Business Machines compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- International Business Machines is the larger company, worth $221.1B, about 1.6 times Accenture.
- Accenture grew revenue faster over the last year (+5.6% vs +1.1%).
- On earnings, Accenture is the cheaper stock (16.7x vs 20.8x).
- International Business Machines's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 4% a year, against -1% for Accenture (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | ACN | IBM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $136.1B | $221.1B |
| Share price | $209.06 | $227.13 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $69.7B | $67.5B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $10.9B | $12.1B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +5.6% | +1.1% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +8.4% | +4.2% |
| Operating margin | 14.5% | — |
| Net margin | 10.7% | 15.5% |
| Return on equity | 24.4% | 31.1% |
| P/E (trailing) | 16.7x | 20.8x |
| Price / free cash flow | 12.5x | 19.1x |
| EV / EBITDA | 10.6x | 15.9x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -1.2% | 3.8% |
| Dividend yield | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| Debt / equity | 1.12x | 3.41x |
| Fundamental grade | C | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 0 | 10 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 6 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Accenture
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $50.5B | $8.4B | 15.1% |
| 2022 | $61.6B | $8.8B | 15.2% |
| 2023 | $64.1B | $9.0B | 13.7% |
| 2024 | $64.9B | $8.6B | 14.8% |
| 2025 | $69.7B | $10.9B | 14.7% |
International Business Machines
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $57.4B | $10.7B | — |
| 2022 | $60.5B | $9.1B | — |
| 2023 | $61.9B | $12.7B | — |
| 2024 | $62.8B | $12.4B | — |
| 2025 | $67.5B | $12.1B | — |
Where the revenue comes from
Accenture · by products, 2025
Consulting Revenue$35.1B50%
Managed Services$34.6B50%
International Business Machines · by segments, 2025
Software$30.0B44%
Consulting$21.1B31%
Infrastructure$15.7B23%
Financing$737M1%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open ACN in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Accenture or International Business Machines?
International Business Machines (IBM), at $221.1B against $136.1B.
Is ACN or IBM cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Accenture (16.7x) is cheaper than International Business Machines (20.8x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, ACN or IBM?
Accenture: revenue grew +5.6% over the last year, against +1.1%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.