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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

International Business Machines vs Marsh & McLennan Companies: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with International Business Machines carrying a narrow edge on growth. Marsh & McLennan Companies still has the edge on profitability, 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 Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Most of the lead runs through growth, while stability helps make the separation broader.

Trajectory Similarity
0.69
Moderately similar
Peer-set rank: #23
within International Business Machines Corporation's functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A moderate similarity means the pair is structurally comparable, but not a near-twin trajectory match.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in investment intensity and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
investment intensitymargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation
59
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
MRSH
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: IBM vs MRSH Profitability 23 54 Stability 76 61 Valuation 79 80 Growth 64 27 IBM MRSH
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +37
#2 Profitability +31
#3 Stability +15
#4 Valuation +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for IBM and MRSH Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer IBMMRSH Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY IBM Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 40 pct gap MRSH Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 73rd 33rd
Today MRSH sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (33rd percentile), while IBM sits higher in its own history (73rd). Within each stock's own 5-year context, MRSH 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
Growth
International Business Machines Corporation sits in the stronger part of the group on growth, while Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Profitability
On profitability, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while International Business Machines Corporation is closer to the middle.
Growth — Dominant Gap
IBM
64
MRSH
27
Gap+37in favour of IBM

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Profitability still favours Marsh & McLennan Companies, with a 10.5-point operating margin advantage keeping the comparison from looking fully resolved.

What this means for the comparison

Growth is the clearest driver of the lead, with profitability adding further support — though profitability still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

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Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how IBM and MRSH 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.