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Jan 25, 2023
Microsoft (MSFT, $239.63) beats fiscal Q2 earnings expectations; but disappoints on intelligent cloud revenue outlook

Microsoft (MSFT, $239.63) beats fiscal Q2 earnings expectations; but disappoints on intelligent cloud revenue outlook

Microsoft posted its fiscal second quarter earnings late Tuesday, beating analysts’ expectations. However, it forecast current quarter revenues for its intelligent cloud division which missed analysts’ expectations (according to Refinitiv survey).

The tech behemoth’s adjusted earnings slipped -6.5% from the year-ago quarter to $2.32 per share, topping the Street consensus forecast of $2.30 per share.

Revenues climbed +1.9% from the year-ago quarter to $52.7 billion, but were slightly below analysts' expectations of $52.97 billion.

Revenues for Azure, its flagship cloud segment, surged +31% year-over-year, exceeding the Street forecasts. However, the rate of growth slowed from earlier gains in the mid to high 40-percent range.

Productivity and business division sales (which includes Office 365) were up +7% to $17 billion. Intelligent Cloud revenues grew +18% to $21.5 billion. More Personal Computing revenues, which includes Windows, were down -19% to $14.2 billion.

The group projected current quarter revenues for its intelligent cloud division in the range of $21.7 billion to $22 billion, that’s below Refinitv forecasts.

Earlier, Microsoft announced plans to layoff around 5% of its global workforce as it seeks to align costs with customer demand and boost investment in areas such as AI and other advanced technologies. According to the company, severance payments and other costs linked to the job cuts were $800 million.

 

Related Ticker: MSFT

MSFT sees its 50-day moving average cross bullishly above its 200-day moving average

The 50-day moving average for MSFT moved above the 200-day moving average on August 28, 2026. This could be a long-term bullish signal for the stock as the stock shifts to an upward trend.

Price Prediction Chart

Technical Analysis (Indicators)

Bullish Trend Analysis

The Stochastic Oscillator suggests the stock price trend may be in a reversal from a downward trend to an upward trend. 36 of 54 cases where MSFT's Stochastic Oscillator exited the oversold zone resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 67%.

The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on September 21, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on MSFT as a result. In 57 of 85 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 67%.

Following a +2.63% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where MSFT advanced for three days, in 213 of 332 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 64%.

The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 184 of 280 cases where MSFT Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 66%.

Bearish Trend Analysis

The 10-day RSI Indicator for MSFT moved out of overbought territory on August 31, 2026. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 42 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In 14 of the 42 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at 33%.

The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for MSFT turned negative on August 18, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 50 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In 25 of the 50 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at 50%.

Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where MSFT declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 56%.

MSFT broke above its upper Bollinger Band on August 28, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.

Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)

The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 30 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.

The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 41 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. MSFT’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.

The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 43 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 91, placing this stock slightly better than average.

The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 61 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (8.285) is normal, around the industry mean (19.972). P/E Ratio (27.509) is within average values for comparable stocks, (153.820). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.604) is also within normal values, averaging (3.697). Dividend Yield (0.007) settles around the average of (0.004) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (11.013) is also within normal values, averaging (103.889).

The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 74 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.

Notable companies

The most notable companies in this group are Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL), Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ:PANW), Crowdstrike Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:CRWD), Block Inc (NYSE:XYZ), NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP), Twilio (NYSE:TWLO), Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS), Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA), MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB).

Industry description

Computer communications industry develops technology that allows computing devices to exchange data with each other using connections/data links between nodes. Common types of computer network include Cloud (IAN), Internet, Wide (WAN, Local (LAN)/Wireless(WLAN) etc. The industry is an ever-more important part of technology, and is set to become even bigger as the Internet of Things (IoT) rapidly forays into the various aspects of our lives. Cisco Systems, Inc., Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and Arista Networks, Inc., Fortinet, Inc. are some of the major computer communications companies.

Market Cap

The average market capitalization across the Computer Communications Industry is 34.49B. The market cap for tickers in the group ranges from 37.88K to 3.67T. MSFT holds the highest valuation in this group at 3.67T. The lowest valued company is YYAI at 37.88K.

High and low price notable news

The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the Computer Communications Industry was 3%. For the same Industry, the average monthly price growth was -2%, and the average quarterly price growth was 25%. HQ experienced the highest price growth at 49%, while GOAI experienced the biggest fall at -35%.

Volume

The average weekly volume growth across all stocks in the Computer Communications Industry was -14%. For the same stocks of the Industry, the average monthly volume growth was 15% and the average quarterly volume growth was -16%

Fundamental Analysis Ratings

The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows

Valuation Rating: 47
P/E Growth Rating: 70
Price Growth Rating: 56
SMR Rating: 77
Profit Risk Rating: 91
Seasonality Score: -11 (-100 ... +100)
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a developer of software and harware products

Industry ComputerCommunications

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Address
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Phone
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Microsoft (MSFT, $239.63) beats fiscal Q2 earnings expectations; but disappoints on intelligent cloud revenue outlook