What was IBM's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2021?

IBM's CAGR from 2021 to September 2026 was 15.9% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. IBM significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does IBM compare to the S&P 500 since 2021?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2021 would be worth approximately $2,218.04 today. IBM outperformed the index by $121.20 — 1.05x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the IBM gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $1,339.24 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,138.36. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,020.50, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in IBM since 2021?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2021, the real purchasing-power value of the IBM position is approximately $1,943.87 in 2021 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did IBM perform in 2021?

IBM rose 21% during 2021, from $94.41 at the start of the year to $113.85 at the start of 2022.

What If You Invested $1,000 in IBM in 2021?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$2,339

+$1,339 profit2.34x15.9% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218

Its shares paid about $71.39 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,138

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$2,339.24

Total Profit

$1,339.24

Multiplier

2.34x

CAGR

15.9%

Max Drawdown

-27.2%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,943.87

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
IBM	$2,339.24	2.34x
S&P 500	$2,218.04	2.22x
Gold	$2,213.49	2.21x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,120.46	1.12x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 10.59 shares you'd own now paid about $71.39 in dividends (about $5.95 a month). That's 7.1% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,864; reinvested dividends added the other $475.33, 35% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2021

In November 2021, IBM spun off its infrastructure services business as a separate public company called Kyndryl, which started out with $19 billion in revenue. techcrunch.com
In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
During 2021 itself, IBM rose 21%, #68 of the 111 investments we track. The best was Solana (+11,084%); the worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →

$1,000 in IBM, year by year

Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, IBM ranks #44 by growth to today — just behind Oracle and ahead of Merck. See the full 2021 ranking →

IBM started 2021 15% below its start-of-2013 high, after falling 3.7% in 2020. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2026, at $3,026. Today it's 23% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 5 of the 5 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2023 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Nov 2025 ($3,215) to today ($2,339), a drop of 27%. At its lowest month-end, in Feb 2021, it was worth $976.00.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2021	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2022	$1,206	+21%	$1,287
Start of 2023	$1,317	+9.2%	$1,054
Start of 2024	$1,577	+20%	$1,331
Start of 2025	$2,226	+41%	$1,664
Start of 2026	$3,026	+36%	$1,962
Today	$2,339	−23%	$2,218

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2021, IBM was priced at $94.41 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 10.59 shares. IBM sells enterprise software, consulting and mainframe computers.

Measured from one January to the next, IBM's best year since then was 2024 (+41%) and its weakest was 2022 (+9.2%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in IBM at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $2,339.24 today — a 2.34x return ($1,339.24 profit) over 5.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2021 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2021 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.