DOCU vs. IBM: DocuSign vs. IBM Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but DOCU is classified in Software while IBM is classified in IT Services.

Company profile comparison for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Profile Item	DOCU	IBM
Name	DocuSign Inc.	International Business Machines Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	IT Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Application Software	IT Consulting & Other Services
Market Capitalization	14.51 billion USD	231.55 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	April 27, 2018	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOCU

IBM

GSPC

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Total Return (1Y)	12.03%	-16.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.94%	22.40%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-22.27%	19.64%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOCU

IBM

GSPC

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.32%	48.48%
Beta (5Y)	0.79	0.79
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-86.00%	-37.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.99M	5.30M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOCU and IBM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.16	-0.44
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.23	-0.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

IBM (IBM) at 34.77% sits in the top ROE quartile, while DocuSign (DOCU) at 17.80% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for IBM.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

17.80%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
DOCU: 17.80%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

IBM

Software & Services industry group

34.77%

Max: 53.85%
IBM: 34.77%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

IBM (IBM) at 15.99% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of DocuSign (DOCU) at 9.82%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

9.82%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
DOCU: 9.82%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

IBM

Software & Services industry group

15.99%

Max: 41.17%
IBM: 15.99%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 13.43% and IBM (IBM) at 16.97% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

13.43%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
DOCU: 13.43%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

IBM

Software & Services industry group

16.97%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
IBM: 16.97%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
ROE (TTM)	17.80%	34.77%
ROA (TTM)	6.35%	5.33%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.82%	15.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.43%	16.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	79.61%	57.97%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 8.16% and IBM (IBM) at 7.62% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

IBM (IBM) at 73.72% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while DocuSign (DOCU) at -70.87% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.16%	7.62%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.57%	3.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-70.87%	73.72%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	83.76%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 0.64 and IBM (IBM) at 0.86 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
DOCU: 0.64
Min: 0.03

IBM

Software & Services industry group

0.86

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
IBM: 0.86
Min: 0.03

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

DocuSign (DOCU) at 0.11 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while IBM (IBM) at 1.85 uses more debt funding than most peers.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.11

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
DOCU: 0.11
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

IBM

Software & Services industry group

1.85

Max: 2.52
IBM: 1.85
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.64	0.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	1.85
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.35	3.37

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

DocuSign (DOCU) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile IBM (IBM) reports a yield of 2.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

DOCU: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IBM

Software & Services industry group

2.73%

IBM: 2.73%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

DocuSign (DOCU) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile IBM (IBM) reports a payout of 57.51%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

DOCU: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

IBM

Software & Services industry group

57.51%

IBM: 57.51%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	57.51%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 47.32 and IBM (IBM) at 20.90 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

47.32

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
DOCU: 47.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

IBM

Software & Services industry group

20.90

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
IBM: 20.90
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both DocuSign (DOCU) at 4.32 and IBM (IBM) at 3.31 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

4.32

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
DOCU: 4.32
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

IBM

Software & Services industry group

3.31

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
IBM: 3.31
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both DocuSign (DOCU) at 8.50 and IBM (IBM) at 6.52 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

8.50

Max: 16.63
DOCU: 8.50
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

IBM

Software & Services industry group

6.52

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
IBM: 6.52
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. IBM (IBM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and IBM (IBM)
Metric	DOCU	IBM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	47.32	20.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.32	3.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.50	6.52
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.05%	5.34%