The International Business Machines Corporation is an American IT and consulting company based in Armonk, New York. IBM is one of the world's leading companies for hardware, software and services in the IT sector and one of the largest consulting companies.
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 F O R M 1 0 - Q QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 1-2360 ---------------------- (Commission file number) INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION ---------------------------------------------------- (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) New York 13-0871985 ---------------------- ---------------------------------- (State of incorporation) (IRS employer identification number) Armonk, New York 10504 -------------------------------------- -------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) 914-499-1900 ----------------------------- (Registrant's telephone number) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section l3 or l5(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding l2 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES |X| NO |_| The registrant has 922,851,792 shares of common stock outstanding at September 30, 1998.
INDEX Page ---- Part I - Financial Information: Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements Consolidated Statement of Earnings for the three and nine months ended September 30, 1998 and 1997 ..................... 1 Consolidated Statement of Financial Position at September 30, 1998 and December 31, 1997 ..................... 3 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 and 1997 ............................ 5 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements ..................... 6 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition ........... 6 Part II - Other Information .......................................... 16
ITEM 1. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS (UNAUDITED) (Dollars in millions except Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended per share amounts) September 30 September 30 ------------------- -------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- -------- Revenue: Hardware sales $ 8,700 $ 8,345 $ 23,343 $ 24,722 Services 5,771 4,709 16,382 13,416 Software 3,175 3,039 9,421 9,073 Maintenance 1,449 1,574 4,405 4,809 Rentals and financing 1,000 938 2,985 2,765 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total revenue 20,095 18,605 56,536 54,785 Cost: Hardware sales 5,936 5,523 16,279 16,326 Services 4,541 3,756 12,871 10,717 Software 805 904 2,330 2,723 Maintenance 770 838 2,293 2,564 Rentals and financing 576 486 1,700 1,364 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total cost 12,628 11,507 35,473 33,694 -------- -------- -------- -------- Gross profit 7,467 7,098 21,063 21,091 Operating expenses: Selling, general and 4,057 3,932 11,588 11,574 administrative Research, development and engineering 1,240 1,162 3,639 3,452 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total operating expenses 5,297 5,094 15,227 15,026 Operating income 2,170 2,004 5,836 6,065 Other income, principally interest 122 162 402 484 Interest expense 160 183 500 534 -------- -------- -------- -------- Earnings before income taxes 2,132 1,983 5,738 6,015 Income tax provision 638 624 1,756 2,015 -------- -------- -------- -------- Net earnings 1,494 1,359 3,982 4,000 Preferred stock dividends 5 5 15 15 -------- -------- -------- -------- Net earnings applicable to common shareholders $ 1,489 $ 1,354 $ 3,967 $ 3,985 ======== ======== ======== ======== -1-
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EARNINGS - (continued) (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- -------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 ------------------- -------------------- Net earnings per share of common stock - basic $ 1.60 $ 1.38 $ 4.22 $ 4.03 Net earnings per share of common stock - assuming dilution $ 1.56 $ 1.35 $ 4.11 $ 3.91 Average number of common shares outstanding: (millions) Basic 928.4 978.0 939.4 989.4 Diluted 954.5 1,005.2 965.5 1,019.2 Cash dividends per common share $ .22 $ .20 $ .64 $ .575 (The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.) -2-
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (UNAUDITED) ASSETS <TABLE> <CAPTION> At September 30 At December 31 (Dollars in millions) 1998 1997* --------------- -------------- <S> <C> <C> Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,553 $ 7,106 Marketable securities - at cost, which approximates market 316 447 Notes and accounts receivable - net of allowances 17,682 18,106 Sales-type leases receivable 5,869 5,720 Inventories, at lower of average cost or market Finished goods 1,194 1,090 Work in process and raw materials 4,354 4,049 -------- -------- Total inventories 5,548 5,139 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,834 3,900 -------- -------- Total current assets 38,802 40,418 Plant, rental machines and other property 43,781 42,133 Less: Accumulated depreciation 24,776 23,786 -------- -------- Plant, rental machines and other property - net 19,005 18,347 Software, less accumulated amortization (1998, $12,799; 1997, $12,610) 645 819 Investments and sundry assets 21,267 21,915 -------- -------- Total assets $ 79,719 $ 81,499 ======== ======== </TABLE> * Reclassified to conform to 1998 presentation. (The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.) -3-
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION - (CONTINUED) (UNAUDITED) LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Dollars in millions except At September 30 At December 31 per share amounts) 1998 1997* --------------- -------------- Current liabilities: Taxes $ 1,790 $ 2,381 Accounts payable and accruals 16,485 17,896 Short-term debt 13,237 13,230 -------- -------- Total current liabilities 31,512 33,507 Long-term debt 15,239 13,696 Other liabilities 12,889 12,993 Deferred income taxes 1,444 1,487 -------- -------- Total liabilities 61,084 61,683 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock - par value $.01 per share 252 252 Shares authorized: 150,000,000 Shares issued: 1998 - 2,597,261 1997 - 2,597,261 Common stock - par value $.50 per share 9,804 8,601 Shares authorized: 1,875,000,000 Shares issued: 1998 - 980,187,836 1997 - 969,015,351 Retained earnings 14,306 11,010 Treasury stock - at cost (5,778) (86) Shares: 1998 - 47,336,044 1997 - 923,955 Employee benefits trust - at cost (860) (860) Shares: 1998 - 10,000,000 1997 - 10,000,000 Gains and losses not affecting retained earnings 911 899 -------- -------- Total stockholders' equity 18,635 19,816 -------- -------- Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 79,719 $ 81,499 ======== ======== * Reclassified to conform to 1998 presentation. (The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.) -4-
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30: (UNAUDITED) (Dollars in millions) 1998 1997 -------- ------- Cash flow from operating activities: Net earnings $ 3,982 $ 4,000 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash provided from operating activities: Effect of restructuring charges (257) (317) Depreciation 3,246 2,818 Amortization of software 401 768 Gain on disposition of fixed and other assets (156) (163) Changes in operating assets and liabilities (675) (2,015) -------- ------- Net cash provided from operating activities 6,541 5,091 -------- ------- Cash flow from investing activities: Payments for plant, rental machines and other property, net of proceeds (3,975) (3,875) Investment in software (180) (227) Purchases of marketable securities and other investments (1,532) (1,244) Proceeds from marketable securities and other investments 1,201 910 -------- ------- Net cash used in investment activities (4,486) (4,436) -------- ------- Cash flow from financing activities: Proceeds from new debt 6,049 6,969 Payments to settle debt (4,053) (2,920) Short-term borrowings less than 90 days - net (246) (1,274) Common stock transactions - net (4,830) (4,476) Cash dividends paid (623) (584) -------- ------- Net cash used in financing activities (3,703) (2,285) -------- ------- Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 95 (131) -------- ------- Net change in cash and cash equivalents (1,553) (1,761) Cash and cash equivalents at January 1 7,106 7,687 -------- ------- Cash and cash equivalents at September 30 $ 5,553 $ 5,926 ======== ======= (The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.) -5-
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 1. In the opinion of the management of International Business Machines Corporation (the company), all adjustments necessary to a fair statement of the results for the unaudited three and nine month periods have been made. 2. The gains and losses not affecting retained earnings line of stockholders' equity is comprised of foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities. Net earnings and gains and losses not affecting retained earnings amounted to $1,704 million and $999 million for the three month periods ended September 30, 1998 and 1997, respectively. The amounts for the nine month periods ended September 30, 1998 and 1997 were $3,994 million and $2,835 million, respectively. 3. In June 1998, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 133, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities." This statement establishes accounting and reporting standards for derivative instruments. It requires an entity to recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the statement of financial position and measure those instruments at fair value. This statement is effective for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 1999, although early adoption is permitted. Management is in the process of determining the impacts to the company's financial statements as a result of the adoption of this standard. 4. Subsequent Event: On October 27, 1998, the Board of Directors authorized the company to repurchase up to an additional $3.5 billion of IBM common stock shares. The company plans to buy shares on the open market from time-to-time, depending on market conditions. ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 The company's third-quarter results indicate that its business has accelerated significantly during the third quarter with strong revenue and earnings growth across nearly all parts of its product line. There was revenue growth across all server products, ongoing strength in services and software businesses, good improvement in the personal computer unit and strong performance in Europe and North America. The company continued to invest for long-term growth through the implementation of new technologies like silicon germanium and silicon on insulator that yield faster micro processor speeds at lower costs and power requirements, and investments in capital expenditures for strategic outsourcing and hard disk drive capacity. The company increased some expenses to extend its leadership in e-business and its presence in important software segments like system management, data management and data mining. At the same time, the company's business was affected by continued weakness in Asia/Pacific and Latin America, and its semiconductor business continued to be impacted by a prolonged, industry-wide downturn in memory chip prices. The company is exploring various alternatives to mitigate the impacts of this downturn. These alternatives include among other actions, realigning alliance structures, rebalancing sources of supply and redirecting product focus. -6-
While the company has momentum going into the fourth quarter, there are a number of significant short-term challenges facing the company, including an uncertain global economic environment, ongoing weakness in some parts of Asia and Latin America, and continued price pressure in semiconductors. Over the longer term, the company believes it is well positioned to meet its customers demand for integrated products and services to solve their business needs. The company is maintaining its focus on cost, expense, improving the competitiveness of its products and delivering consistent financial results. Results of Operations (Dollars in millions Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended except per share amounts) September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- -------- Revenue $ 20,095 $ 18,605 $ 56,536 $ 54,785 Cost 12,628 11,507 35,473 33,694 -------- -------- -------- -------- Gross profit $ 7,467 $ 7,098 $ 21,063 $ 21,091 Gross profit margin 37.2% 38.2% 37.3% 38.5% Net earnings $ 1,494 $ 1,359 $ 3,982 $ 4,000 Net earnings per diluted common share $ 1.56 $ 1.35 $ 4.11 $ 3.91 As a result of the company's share repurchase program, the average number of common shares outstanding were lower by 49.6 million to 928.4 million shares in the third quarter and by 50.0 million to 939.4 million shares on a nine months basis versus comparable periods in 1997. Revenue for the three months ended September 30, 1998 increased 8.0 percent as reported and about 11 percent on a constant currency basis. Services revenue growth remained strong while software continued to display improved year to year growth dynamics. Hardware sales increased as a result of strong acceptance of the new G5 models of System/390 and improved performance of personal computers. These improvements were partially offset by falling revenue from semiconductors, which will continue. For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, revenue increased 3.2 percent as reported and approximately 7 percent on a constant currency basis versus last year. The increase was primarily due to strong growth in services and higher revenue from software offerings, partially offset by lower hardware sales revenue from personal computers. On an as-reported basis, third-quarter revenue in the United States was $9.2 billion, an increase of 15.1 percent from the same period of 1997. Revenue from Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) grew 16.4 percent to $6.1 billion and revenue from Canada increased 9.2 percent to $821 million. Asia-Pacific revenue was $3.2 billion, a decline of 15.6 percent. Revenue from Latin America totaled $840 million, a decrease of 5.8 percent compared with the third quarter of 1997. -7-
Results of Operations - (continued) Excluding the effects of currency translation, Asia-Pacific declined 2 percent, EMEA revenue grew 15 percent, Canada increased 19 percent and Latin America declined 3 percent, versus third-quarter 1997. The overall gross profit margin for the three months ended September 30, 1998 was 37.2 percent or 1.0 point lower than the comparable period last year. The decline on a year-to-year basis is consistent with the first half of 1998 and continues to reflect the changing mix of the company's businesses which tends to lower the overall gross profit margin. For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, overall gross profit margin of 37.3 percent was down 1.2 points versus last year. Total expenses increased 4.3 percent compared with last year's third quarter. The company's expense-to-revenue ratio improved 1.0 point versus last year. The company's tax rate was 30.0 percent in the third quarter compared with 31.5 percent in the year-earlier period as the company continued to benefit from increased profit generation in markets with lower effective tax rates. Hardware Sales (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total revenue $ 8,700 $ 8,345 $ 23,343 $ 24,722 Total cost 5,936 5,523 16,279 16,326 -------- -------- -------- -------- Gross profit $ 2,764 $ 2,822 $ 7,064 $ 8,396 Gross profit margin 31.8% 33.8% 30.3% 34.0% Revenue from hardware sales increased 4.2 percent and declined 5.6 percent for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, respectively, when compared to the same periods in 1997. The third-quarter and first-nine months results were negatively affected by approximately 2 and 3 percentage points, respectively, from currency in 1998. The hardware sales revenue increase was due to the strong performance of the new G5 model of the System/390. MIPS (millions of instructions per second) more than doubled over the third quarter of last year and revenue grew by double digits despite weakness in Asia. In addition, AS/400 and RS/6000 server revenue grew year over year, as the new Northstar PowerPC chip was introduced into both platforms for improved performance. Personal computer revenue showed strong growth versus the first and second quarters of 1998 and was flat when compared to the third quarter of 1997. AS/400 revenue increased and personal computers, RS/6000 and System/390 revenue decreased on a nine months basis when compared to the same period of last year. -8-
Results of Operations - (continued) Revenue from storage products increased on both a third-quarter and nine months basis when compared with the year-earlier periods, due primarily to strong sales of hard disk drives, partially offset by lower revenue for high-end storage systems, which experienced a significant decline in Asia. Semiconductor revenue declined in the third quarter and increased slightly for the first nine months of 1998, when compared to the same periods in 1997. The decline in the third quarter was primarily due to lower DRAM prices and an Asian-related slow down in demand for ASICS products. The company expects this trend to continue for the short term. Hardware sales gross profit for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 decreased 2.1 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively, from comparable periods in 1997. The hardware gross profit margin decreased 2.0 points and 3.7 points, respectively, from the prior year. These decreases were primarily driven by pricing pressures associated with personal computers, hard disk drive and memory chip prices when compared to the same periods in 1997. These declines were partially offset by improved margins for AS/400 and the mix of revenue to more System/390 products which have a higher margin. In the third quarter of 1998 the personal computer margins improved over the same period in 1997. Services Other Than Maintenance (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total revenue $ 5,771 $ 4,709 $ 16,382 $ 13,416 Total cost 4,541 3,756 12,871 10,717 -------- -------- -------- -------- Gross profit $ 1,230 $ 953 $ 3,511 $ 2,699 Gross profit margin 21.3% 20.3% 21.4% 20.1% Services revenue increased 22.6 percent and 22.1 percent, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, versus the same periods in 1997. On a constant currency basis, revenue was negatively affected by approximately 3 and 4 percentage points, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 1998. The revenue increases were driven by continued strong growth in all categories of service offerings. In the third quarter, new contract signings amounted to $10.0 billion. Most of these contracts are for strategic outsourcing agreements and involve a full spectrum of the company's services and product offerings. Services gross profit dollars increased in the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 by 29.1 percent and 30.0 percent, respectively, when compared to year-ago periods. The positive gross profit margin trend seen in the first half of the year continued in the third quarter as margin improved 1.0 point versus last year due to improved utilization rates and contract management, primarily in the United States. -9-
Results of Operations - (continued) Software (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------- 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total revenue $ 3,175 $ 3,039 $ 9,421 $ 9,073 Total cost 805 904 2,330 2,723 -------- -------- -------- -------- Gross profit $ 2,370 $ 2,135 $ 7,091 $ 6,350 Gross profit margin 74.6% 70.3% 75.3% 70.0% Revenue from software for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 increased 4.5 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, over comparable periods in 1997. The third-quarter and first-nine months results were negatively affected by approximately 3 and 4 percentage points, respectively, from currency in 1998. The revenue increases are being driven by growth in the company's middleware products consisting of data management, transaction processing, Tivoli systems management, and messaging and collaboration. In addition, operating systems revenue also showed growth, primarily as a result of strong AS/400 revenue. Software gross profit dollars for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 increased 11.0 and 11.7 percent, respectively, versus the same periods in 1997. Software gross profit margins increased 4.3 percentage points and 5.3 percentage points, respectively, for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, when compared to the same periods of last year. The company continues to see an improved margin due to lower levels of amortization associated with deferred development costs. Maintenance (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------ 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- ------- Total revenue $ 1,449 $ 1,574 $ 4,405 $ 4,809 Total cost 770 838 2,293 2,564 -------- -------- -------- ------- Gross profit $ 679 $ 736 $ 2,112 $ 2,245 Gross profit margin 46.8% 46.8% 47.9% 46.7% Maintenance revenue for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 decreased 8.0 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively, from comparable periods in 1997. The third-quarter and first-nine months revenue was negatively affected by approximately 4 percentage points, respectively, from currency in 1998. Maintenance gross profit dollars decreased 7.7 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, when compared to the same periods of 1997. While maintenance revenue continues to be impacted by aggressive pricing dynamics, the gross profit margin has displayed a positive trend in the first half of 1998 and was flat in the third quarter versus the same periods of 1997, due to effective cost management actions. -10-
Results of Operations - (continued) Rentals and financing (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------ 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- ------- Total revenue $ 1,000 $ 938 $ 2,985 $ 2,765 Total cost 576 486 1,700 1,364 -------- -------- -------- ------- Gross profit $ 424 $ 452 $ 1,285 $ 1,401 Gross profit margin 42.4% 48.2% 43.1% 50.7% Revenue from rentals and financing increased 6.7 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively, for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, versus comparable periods in 1997. The third-quarter and first-nine months revenue was negatively affected by approximately 3 percentage points, respectively, from currency in 1997. The increases in revenue were driven by higher levels of operating leases on low-end products. Rentals and financing gross profit dollars decreased 6.2 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively, for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, when compared to the same periods of the prior year. The decline in gross profit dollars and margin were principally due to a trend towards financing a greater amount of low-end products and faster growth in the more competitive U.S. market. Expenses (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30 September 30 ------------------- ------------------ 1998 1997 1998 1997 -------- -------- -------- ------- Selling, general and administrative $ 4,057 $ 3,932 $ 11,588 $11,574 Percentage of revenue 20.2% 21.1% 20.5% 21.1% Research, development and engineering $ 1,240 $ 1,162 $ 3,639 $ 3,452 Percentage of revenue 6.2% 6.2% 6.4% 6.3% Selling, general and administrative expense for the third quarter increased 3.1 percent and was essentially flat for the first nine months of 1998, respectively, compared to the same periods in 1997. Currency had a benefit of about 3 percentage points for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998 versus the same periods in 1997. The company continues to aggressively manage infrastructure expense and its overall portfolio to allow for investment in growth segments of the business. -11-
Results of Operations - (continued) Research, development and engineering expense increased 6.7 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, when compared to the same periods of 1997. The increase in the third quarter reflects the company's continued investments in high-growth opportunities like e-business, Tivoli Systems, Java and hard disk drives. The increase in the first nine months of 1998 was primarily due to the charges and operating expenses associated with the acquisition of Software Artistry, Inc. and CommQuest Technologies in the first quarter of 1998, as well as increased spending on other high-growth opportunities. Interest on total borrowings of the company and its subsidiaries, which includes interest expense and interest costs associated with rentals and financing, amounted to $377 million and $1,172 million for the third quarter and first nine months of 1998, respectively. Of these amounts, $9 million for the third quarter and $20 million for the first nine months were capitalized. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended September 30, 1998, was 30.0 percent versus 31.5 percent for the same period in 1997. The decrease was primarily the result of the source of earnings and corresponding weighting of tax rates on a country-by-country basis, as the company continued to expand into markets with lower effective tax rates. The effective tax rate for the first nine months of 1998 was 30.6 percent, versus 33.5 percent for the same period in 1997. The 2.9 points decrease from the 1997 rate was a result of the same factors that impacted the third quarter effective tax rate. Financial Condition During 1998, the company has continued to make significant investments to fund its future growth and increase shareholder value. These include expenditures of $4.0 billion for research, development and engineering, $4.6 billion in plant, rental machines and other property and $5.3 billion for the repurchase of the company's common shares. The company had $5.9 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities at September 30, 1998. Cash Flow (Dollars in millions) Nine Months Ended September 30 ------------------ 1998 1997 ------- ------- Net cash provided from (used in): Operating activities $ 6,541 $ 5,091 Investing activities (4,486) (4,436) Financing activities (3,703) (2,285) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 95 (131) ------- ------- Net change in cash and cash equivalents $(1,553) $(1,761) -12-
Financial Condition - (continued) Working Capital (Dollars in millions) At September 30 At December 31 1998 1997 --------------- -------------- Current assets $ 38,802 $ 40,418 Current liabilities 31,512 33,507 -------- -------- Working capital $ 7,290 $ 6,911 Current ratio 1.23:1 1.21:1 Current assets declined $1.6 billion from year-end 1997 with declines of $1.7 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, and $.3 billion in accounts receivable, offset by an increase of $.4 billion in inventories. The decrease in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities resulted primarily from the stock repurchases and capital expenditures, offset by cash generated from operations and debt financing. The decline in accounts receivable was attributable to the collection of typically higher year-end accounts receivable balances, while inventories have generally increased to meet anticipated fourth-quarter demand. Current liabilities declined $2.0 billion with declines of $1.4 billion in accounts payable and accruals (resulting primarily from seasonal declines in these balances from their normally higher year-end levels), and $.6 billion in taxes. Investments During the first nine months of 1998, the company continued to invest in its rapidly growing services business, primarily in the management of customers' information technology, as well as in manufacturing capacity for hard disk drives and microelectronics. The company's capital investment for plant, rental machines and property was $4.6 billion during the first nine months of 1998, an increase of $.1 billion from the comparable 1997 period. In addition to software development expense included in research, development and engineering expense, the company capitalized $.2 billion of software costs during the first nine months of both 1998 and 1997. Amortization of capitalized software costs amounted to $.4 billion during the first nine-months of 1998, a decline of $.4 billion from the comparable 1997 period. Investments and sundry assets were $21.3 billion at September 30, 1998, a decrease of $.6 billion from year-end 1997, resulting primarily from a decrease in non-current sales-type lease receivables and deferred tax assets. -13-
Financial Condition - (continued) Debt and Equity (Dollars in millions) At September 30 At December 31 1998 1997 --------------- -------------- "Core" debt $ 2,572 $ 3,102 Global financing debt 25,904 23,824 -------- -------- Total debt $ 28,476 $ 26,926 Stockholders' equity $ 18,635 $ 19,816 Debt/capitalization 60.4% 57.6% "Core" debt/capitalization 14.9% 16.1% Global financing debt/equity 6.5:1 6.5:1 Total debt increased $1.6 billion from year-end 1997, as debt in support of growth in global financing assets increased $2.1 billion, and "core" debt declined $.5 billion. Stockholders' equity declined $1.2 billion from December 31, 1997, as the increase in the company's retained earnings was more than offset by the common share repurchases. Liquidity The company maintains a $10.0 billion committed global credit facility as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure appropriate levels of liquidity. As of September 30, 1998, $8.8 billion of this confirmed line of credit remained unused and available for future use. At September 30, 1998, the company had an outstanding balance of $1.1 billion in assets under management from the securitization of loans, leases and trade receivables. Year 2000 The "Year 2000 issue" arises because many computer hardware and software systems use only two digits to represent the year. As a result, these systems and programs may not process dates beyond 1999, which may cause errors in information or systems failures. Assessments of the potential effects of the Year 2000 issues vary markedly among different companies, governments, consultants, economists and commentators, and it is not possible to predict what the actual impact may be. Given this uncertainty, the company recognizes the need to remain vigilant and is continuing its analysis, assessment and planning for the various Year 2000 issues, across its business. With respect to its internal systems, the potential Year 2000 impacts extend beyond the company's information technology systems to its manufacturing and development systems and physical facilities. The company has been addressing these issues using the same five-part methodology it recommends to its customers: (1) Assessment and Strategy; (2) Detailed Analysis and Planning; (3) Implementation; (4) Clean Management (maintaining readiness of converted systems); and (5) Project Office Management. The company expects to complete most conversion and testing early in 1999, -14-
Year 2000 - (continued) with extended system integration testing and contingency planning projects scheduled throughout 1999. Although the company believes its efforts will be successful, and does not not expect the costs of these efforts to be material, any failure or delay could result in the disruption of business and in the company incurring substantial expense. To minimize any such potential impact, the company has initiated a global contingency planning effort designed to support critical business operations. As part of its ordinary course product development efforts, the company's current product and service offerings have been designed to be Year 2000 ready. The Year 2000 readiness of the company's customers varies, and the company is actively encouraging its customers to prepare their own systems, making available a broad array of product, service and educational offerings to assist them (see the IBM Year 2000 Home Page at http://www.ibm.com/IBM/year2000/). Efforts by customers to address Year 2000 issues may absorb a substantial part of their information technology budgets in the near term, and customers may either delay or accelerate the deployment and implementation of new applications and systems. While this behavior may increase demand for certain of the company's products and services, including its Year 2000 offerings, it could also soften demand for other offerings. These events could affect the company's revenues or change its revenue patterns. The company is also in the process of assessing the Year 2000 readiness of its key suppliers, subcontractors and business partners. This project has been undertaken with a view toward assuring that the company has adequate resources for required supplies, components and complementary offerings, and the company expects to complete this project early in 1999. A failure of the company's suppliers, subcontractors and business partners to address adequately their Year 2000 readiness could affect the company's business. As part of its contingency planning efforts, the company is identifying alternate sources or strategies where necessary if significant exposures are identified. In addition, the company is aware of the potential for claims against it and other companies for damages arising from products and services that were not Year 2000 ready. The company continues to believe that any such claims against it would be without merit. Finally, the Year 2000 presents a number of other risks and uncertainties that could affect the company, including utilities failures, competition for personnel skilled in the resolution of Year 2000 issues, and the nature of government responses to the issues, among others. While the company continues to believe that the Year 2000 matters discussed above will not have a material impact on its business, financial condition or results of operations, it remains uncertain whether or to what extent the company may be affected. -15-
Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this Form 10-Q (including statements in the Year 2000 discussion above) may constitute 'forward looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the company's failure to continue to develop and market new and innovative products and services and to keep pace with technological change; competitive pressures; failure to obtain or protect intellectual property rights; the ultimate impact of the various Year 2000 issues on the company's business, financial condition or results of operations; quarterly fluctuations in revenues and volatility of stock prices; the company's ability to attract and retain key personnel; currency and customer financing risks; dependence on certain suppliers; changes in the financial or business condition of the company's distributors or resellers; the company's ability to successfully manage acquisitions and alliances; legal, political and economic changes and other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in materials incorporated therein by reference, including the company's Form 10-K filed on March 30, 1998. Part II - Other Information ITEM 5. Other Information Under the terms of the registrant's By-laws, stockholders who intend to present an item of business at the 1999 annual meeting of stockholders (other than a proposal submitted for inclusion in the registrant's proxy materials) must provide notice of such business to the registrant no earlier than October 19, 1998 and no later than November 18, 1998, as set forth more fully in such By-laws. ITEM 6 (a). Exhibits Exhibit Number 3 The By-laws of IBM as amended through October 27, 1998. 11 Statement re: computation of per share earnings. 12 Statement re: computation of ratios. 27 Financial Data Schedule. ITEM 6 (b). Reports on Form 8-K A Form 8-K dated July 20, 1998 was filed with respect to the company's financial results for the period ended June 30, 1998 and included unaudited consolidated financial statements for the period ended June 30, 1998. -16-
Part II - Other Information - (continued) SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. International Business Machines Corporation ------------------------------------------- (Registrant) Date: November 12, 1998 - ----------------------- By: Mark Loughridge ------------------------------------------- Mark Loughridge Vice President and Controller -17-