$IBM (-0.87%) | Q3'24 Earnings Highlights:
๐น Revenue: $15.0B (Est. $15.05B) ๐ด; UP +1.5% YoY
๐น Operating EPS: $2.30 (Est. $2.22) ๐ข
๐น Free Cash Flow: $2.06B (Est. $2.08B) ๐ด; UP +23% YoY
๐น Non-GAAP Gross Profit Margin: 57.5% (Est. 56.6%) ๐ข
FY'24 Guidance:
๐น Full-year Free Cash Flow: More than $12B
๐ธ Q4 Revenue Growth: Expected to align with Q3 performance
๐ธ Currency Headwind: Forecast ~0.5% impact in Q4
Segment Performance:
๐ธ Software Revenue: $6.52B; UP +9.7% YoY
๐น Hybrid Platform & Solutions: UP +10%
๐น Red Hat: UP +14%
๐น Automation: UP +13%
๐น Data & AI: UP +5%
๐น Security: DOWN -1%
๐ธ Transaction Processing Revenue: UP +9%
๐น Consulting Revenue: $5.15B; DOWN -0.5% YoY
๐น Business Transformation: UP +2%
๐น Technology Consulting: DOWN -4%
๐น Application Operations: DOWN -1%
๐ธ Infrastructure Revenue: $3.04B; DOWN -7% YoY
๐น Hybrid Infrastructure: DOWN -9%
๐น IBM Z: DOWN -19%
๐น Distributed Infrastructure: DOWN -3%
๐น Infrastructure Support: DOWN -4%
๐ธ Financing Revenue: $181M; DOWN -2.7% YoY
Cash Flow and Balance Sheet:
๐น Year-to-date Operating Cash Flow: $9.1B; DOWN $0.4B YoY
๐น Free Cash Flow YTD: $6.6B; UP $1.5B YoY
๐น Cash & Marketable Securities: $13.7B; UP $0.3B from 2023
๐ธ Capital Return: Returned $1.5B to shareholders via dividends
AI and Strategic Developments:
๐ธ Generative AI Business: Exceeds $3B, growing $1B quarter-over-quarter
๐ธ Software Contribution: Software now accounts for nearly 45% of total revenue
๐ธ AI Focus: IBM emphasizes cost-efficient, high-performance AI models
Management Commentary:
๐ธ CEO Arvind Krishna: "Our AI business momentum is strong, with trusted, cost-effective models leading the market. We are confident in our ability to achieve our financial targets with continued strength in software and robust cash flow."