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Don't Overlook IBM (IBM) International Revenue Trends While Assessing the Stock

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Have you evaluated the performance of IBM's (IBM - Free Report) international operations during the quarter that concluded in June 2024? Considering the extensive worldwide presence of this technology and consulting company, analyzing the patterns in international revenues is crucial for understanding its financial resilience and potential for growth.

In today's increasingly interconnected global economy, a company's ability to tap into international markets can be a pivotal factor in shaping its overall financial health and growth trajectory. For investors, understanding a company's reliance on overseas markets has become increasingly crucial, as it offers insights into the company's sustainability of earnings, ability to tap into diverse economic cycles and overall growth potential.

Participation in global economies acts as a defense against economic difficulties at home and a pathway to more rapidly developing economies. However, it also comes with the complexities of dealing with fluctuating currencies, geopolitical risks and different market dynamics.

While delving into IBM's performance for the past quarter, we observed some fascinating trends in the revenue from its foreign segments that are commonly modeled and observed by analysts on Wall Street.

The company's total revenue for the quarter stood at $15.77 billion, increasing 1.9% year over year. Now, let's delve into IBM's international revenue breakdown to gain insights into the significance of its operations beyond home turf.

Exploring IBM's International Revenue Patterns

During the quarter, Asia Pacific contributed $3.1 billion in revenue, making up 19.7% of the total revenue. When compared to the consensus estimate of $2.96 billion, this meant a surprise of +4.82%. Looking back, Asia Pacific contributed $2.9 billion, or 20.1%, in the previous quarter, and $2.8 billion, or 18.1%, in the same quarter of the previous year.

Of the total revenue, $4.7 billion came from Europe, Middle East and Africa during the last fiscal quarter, accounting for 29.8%. This represented a surprise of -0.03% as analysts had expected the region to contribute $4.7 billion to the total revenue. In comparison, the region contributed $4.3 billion, or 29.7%, and $4.6 billion, or 29.7%, to total revenue in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.

International Market Revenue Projections

It is projected by analysts on Wall Street that IBM will post revenues of $15.07 billion for the ongoing fiscal quarter, an increase of 2.2% from the year-ago quarter. The expected contributions from Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa to this revenue are 19.4% and 30%, translating into $2.92 billion and $4.52 billion, respectively.

For the full year, a total revenue of $62.97 billion is expected for the company, reflecting an increase of 1.8% from the year before. The revenues from Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa are expected to make up 19.3% and 30.1% of this total, corresponding to $12.16 billion and $18.93 billion respectively.

Key Takeaways

Relying on international markets for revenues, IBM faces both prospects and perils. Thus, tracking the company's international revenue trends is essential for accurately projecting its future trajectory.

With the increasing intricacies of global interdependence and geopolitical strife, Wall Street analysts meticulously observe these patterns, especially for companies with an international footprint, to tweak their forecasts of earnings. Importantly, several additional factors, such as a company's domestic market status, also impact these earnings forecasts.

At Zacks, we place significant importance on a company's evolving earnings outlook. This is based on empirical evidence demonstrating its strong influence on a stock's short -term price movements. Invariably, there exists a positive relationship -- an upward revision in earnings estimates is typically mirrored by a rise in the stock price.

With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool - the Zacks Rank - harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions and serves as an effective indicator of a stock's near-term price performance.

At present, IBM holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). This ranking implies that its near-term performance might beat the overall market movement. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Assessing IBM's Stock Price Movement in Recent Times

Over the preceding four weeks, the stock's value has appreciated by 10.9%, against a downturn of 0.2% in the Zacks S&P 500 composite. In parallel, the Zacks Computer and Technology sector, which counts IBM among its entities, has depreciated by 4.6%. Over the past three months, the company's shares have seen an increase of 15.7% versus the S&P 500's 7.5% increase. The sector overall has witnessed an increase of 8.1% over the same period.


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