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International Business Machines vs Gartner: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Gartner leads structurally, with profitability as the clearest single gap between the two profiles. International Business Machines still leads on growth and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The comparison is mainly decided in profitability, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Information Technology Services

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. IBM and IT share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how IBM and Gartner each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
IT
Gartner, Inc.
65
Peer-Score
Signal qualityLow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The clearest separation appears in profitability.

Dimension spread: IBM vs IT Profitability 21 100 Stability 72 26 Valuation 78 76 Growth 69 38 IBM IT
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +79
#2 Stability +46
#3 Growth +31
#4 Valuation +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for IBM and IT Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer IBMIT Relative valuation Structural strength

The two profiles are relatively close, but the price setup still leans toward Gartner, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where IBM and IT each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY IBM Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 71 pct gap IT Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 73rd 2nd
Today IT sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (2nd percentile), while IBM sits higher in its own history (73rd). Within each stock's own 5-year context, IT is at a historically more favourable entry position than IBM. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Gartner, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; International Business Machines Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the gap still runs the same way: International Business Machines Corporation sits near the top of the group, while Gartner, Inc. remains in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
IBM
21
IT
100
Gap+79in favour of IT

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 6.7-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Stability still leans toward International Business Machines Corporation, so the lead is real without reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

The profitability edge is decisive, even though current pricing and stability still lean somewhat toward International Business Machines Corporation.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the IBM vs IT comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how IBM and IT each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.