Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services. This segment also provides LinkedIn; and dynamics business solutions, including Dynamics 365, a set of intelligent, cloud-based applications across ERP, CRM, power apps, and power automate; and on-premises ERP and CRM applications. The Intelligent Cloud segment offers server products and cloud services, such as azure and other cloud services; SQL and windows server, visual studio, system center, and related client access licenses, as well as nuance and GitHub; and enterprise services including enterprise support services, industry solutions, and nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment offers Windows, including windows OEM licensing and other non-volume licensing of the Windows operating system; Windows commercial comprising volume licensing of the Windows operating system, windows cloud services, and other Windows commercial offerings; patent licensing; and windows Internet of Things; and devices, such as surface, HoloLens, and PC accessories. Additionally, this segment provides gaming, which includes Xbox hardware and content, and first- and third-party content; Xbox game pass and other subscriptions, cloud gaming, advertising, third-party disc royalties, and other cloud services; and search and news advertising, which includes Bing, Microsoft News and Edge, and third-party affiliates. The company sells its products through OEMs, distributors, and resellers; and directly through digital marketplaces, online, and retail stores. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft looks like a high-quality business with very strong profitability, but the market is already pricing in a significant premium for that quality. A P/E ratio of 22.87 is below the industry median, which looks supportive; however, P/S of 9.01, P/B of 6.89, and P/FCF of 39.29 are materially above industry benchmarks and point to an expensive valuation relative to revenue, equity, and free cash flow. At the same time, the trend in valuation multiples is generally favorable: P/E and P/S/P/B have declined from higher levels, suggesting some normalization in valuation alongside business growth. The company’s profitability is outstanding: ROE of 33.13%, ROA of 19.15%, and ROI of 30.28% are significantly above the industry, while an operating margin of 46.80% and a net margin of 39.34% confirm the high quality of the business model. An important positive is that these metrics are not just high, but also fairly stable over the years, with no signs of sharp deterioration. Revenue, gross profit, operating profit, and net income are generally growing, which supports intrinsic value and reduces the risk that the high valuation will not be backed by results. The balance sheet also looks comfortable: debt/equity is only 0.08, debt is declining, and both equity and assets are growing, indicating low financial risk. On the other hand, liquidity is not ideal: the current ratio of 1.28 and quick ratio of 1.27 are below industry medians and have deteriorated slightly in recent periods, so working-capital cushion does not look outstanding. Dividend yield is effectively absent on a TTM basis, and historically it has been modest, so the dividend factor does not provide meaningful support to the valuation. Overall, the fundamentals are very strong, but due to expensive multiples on revenue, equity, and FCF, the upside for a target price revision is limited. For an investor, this means MSFT remains a high-quality defensive growth asset, but the current valuation is already close to fair value and calls for caution in expectations. Therefore, the forecast adjustment should be moderately positive rather than aggressive.

Microsoft Corporation

Сильный индекс, незначительно упал. Быки в растерянности.

Strong index, slightly down. The bulls are confused.

Слабый индекс, значительно упал. Медведи сохранили, но резко ослабили уверенность в своих позициях.

Weak index, significantly down. The bears retained but sharply weakened their confidence in their positions.

Слабый индекс, значительно вырос. Нейтральный рынок.

Weak index, significantly up. Neutral market.

Сильный индекс, незначительно упал. Нейтральный рынок.

Strong index, slightly down. Neutral market.

Средний индекс, незначительно вырос. Приток средств в лонги остается положительным.

Medium index, slightly up. The inflow of funds into longs remains positive.

Сильный индекс, без изменений. Приток средств в шорты на высоком уровне.

Strong index, flat. Inflow of funds into shorts at a high level.

Microsoft has strong profitability, revenue growth, and low debt, but its valuation on P/S, P/B, and P/FCF remains expensive, so the forecast revision is only moderately upward.

Key Points
Microsoft reported better-than-expected earnings on Wednesday after market close.
The company's Azure cloud platform saw massive revenue growth, similar to its rivals AWS and Google Cloud.
The company also kept its capex forecast unchanged, which caused its stock to rise in after-hours trading.
After the market closed on Wednesday, tech giant and AI hyperscaler Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported better-than-expected Q4 2026 earnings for the period ending June 30.
Revenue and operating income were both up 18% year-over-year (YoY) to $90 billion and $40.6 billion, respectively. Revenue beat the consensus expectation of $87.6 billion.
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Given this impressive performance, is Microsoft’s stock a buy?
Image source: Getty Images.
A big beat with a small asterisk
Although revenue and operating income both rose, it was the marquee earnings per share (EPS) number that really smashed expectations, coming in at an adjusted $4.74/share, compared to the consensus of $4.24/share, a 31% improvement over the prior-year quarter.
However, $0.27/share of those earnings was attributable to special items, including a $3.2 billion gain from the company’s investment in the AI company Anthropic. Still, even if we strip out those items, Microsoft’s EPS would be $4.47/share, up 15.8% YoY and still beating the consensus.
In general, as Microsoft CFO Amy Hood put it, it was “a strong quarter to close out the fiscal year.”
But there were a few particularly noteworthy items that deserve special attention from investors.
Cloud comes in clutch
Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure has long been the second-most-used cloud computing platform in the world, behind Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) AWS but ahead of Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Cloud Services. In recent quarters, Google Cloud Services has seen explosive growth in both revenue and profits, which the company attributes to its implementation of AI. AWS has also reported higher top- and bottom-line growth among users using its AI features.
That trend applied to Microsoft as well, with revenue from Azure and other cloud services increasing 43% YoY. Although Microsoft didn’t break out the actual dollar amount, the overall Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes Azure, saw revenue increase 32% to $39.3 billion.
Holding the line on spending
Shares of Microsoft rival Alphabet took a hit after its recent Q2earnings call in which it increased its capital expenditures (capex) forecast for the year, largely due to increased spending on AI infrastructure. The Google parent’s capex was already up significantly from the prior year, and investors were starting to question whether the ultimate payoff would justify the massive upfront expense.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) encountered a similar situation as it narrowed its 2026 capex guidance toward the higher end of its previously announced range, causing its shares to take a post-earnings hit as well.
But Microsoft bucked the trend. True, its quarterly capex of $35.8 billion was more than double the year-ago quarter’s capex of $17.1 billion. But the company announced it was keeping its forecast for total calendar year 2026 capex unchanged at $175 billion following an accounting change. Investors rewarded the stock by sending shares up 8% in after-hours trading.
Even with that 8% increase, Microsoft shares are still down more than 15% over the past year, underperforming the S&P 500 and cloud rivals Alphabet and Amazon. Meanwhile, its forward price-to-earnings ratio has dropped from 30 to a more reasonable 20.
With Azure showing impressive revenue growth and management keeping a lid on AI spending (at least for now), Microsoft looks like a buy.
Should you buy stock in Microsoft right now?
Before you buy stock in Microsoft, consider this:
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John Bromels has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Is Microsoft a Buy After Its Latest Earnings Report?

For the quarter ended June 2026, Microsoft (MSFT) reported revenue of $90.01 billion, up 17.8% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $4.74, compared to $3.65 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +2.93% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $87.44 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $4.21, the EPS surprise was +12.59%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Microsoft performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
Percentage Change Y/Y (GAAP)- Productivity and Business Processes: 14% versus the eight-analyst average estimate of 12.2%.
Percentage Change Y/Y (GAAP)- Intelligent Cloud: 32% versus the eight-analyst average estimate of 27.6%.
Percentage Change Y/Y (GAAP)- More Personal Computing: -4% versus the eight-analyst average estimate of -10.5%.
Percentage Change Y/Y (GAAP)- Revenue: 18% compared to the 14.2% average estimate based on eight analysts.
Revenue- More Personal Computing: $12.85 billion compared to the $12.04 billion average estimate based on eight analysts. The reported number represents a change of -4.4% year over year.
Revenue- Intelligent Cloud: $39.31 billion compared to the $38.12 billion average estimate based on eight analysts. The reported number represents a change of +31.6% year over year.
Revenue- Productivity and Business Processes: $37.85 billion versus the eight-analyst average estimate of $37.16 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +14.3%.
Revenue by product and service offerings- Microsoft 365 Consumer products and cloud services: $2.37 billion compared to the $2.36 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +16.4% year over year.
Revenue by product and service offerings- Search and news advertising: $3.86 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $3.78 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +7.5%.
Revenue by product and service offerings- Enterprise and partner service: $2.11 billion versus $2.11 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +6% change.
Revenue by product and service offerings- Windows and Devices: $4.01 billion versus $3.54 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -7.3% change.
Revenue by product and service offerings- Server products and cloud services: $37.1 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $36.05 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +33.1%.
Shares of Microsoft have returned +5.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.9% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Microsoft (MSFT) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say

Microsoft (MSFT) came out with quarterly earnings of $4.74 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.21 per share. This compares to earnings of $3.65 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +12.59%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this software maker would post earnings of $4.07 per share when it actually produced earnings of $4.27, delivering a surprise of +4.91%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Microsoft, which belongs to the Zacks Computer - Software industry, posted revenues of $90.01 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.93%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $76.44 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Microsoft shares have lost about 18.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.5%.
What's Next for Microsoft?
While Microsoft has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Microsoft was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $4.55 on $89.5 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $19.30 on $381.6 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Computer - Software is currently in the top 37% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, ACI Worldwide (ACIW), is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 6.
This maker of software for electronic payments is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.51 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +45.7%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 28% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
ACI Worldwide's revenues are expected to be $429.7 million, up 7.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)?
Before you invest in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), want to know the best stocks to buy for the next 30 days? Check out Zacks Investment Research for our free report on the 7 best stocks to buy.
Zacks Investment Research has been committed to providing investors with tools and independent research since 1978. For more than a quarter century, the Zacks Rank stock-rating system has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.08% per year. (These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 6, 2024.)
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Microsoft (MSFT) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates

(RTTNews) - Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) revealed earnings for its fourth quarter that Increases, from last year
The company's bottom line came in at $35.766 billion, or $4.81 per share. This compares with $27.233 billion, or $3.65 per share, last year.
Excluding items, Microsoft Corporation reported adjusted earnings of $35.286 billion or $4.74 per share for the period.
The company's revenue for the period rose 17.7% to $90.007 billion from $76.441 billion last year.
Microsoft Corporation earnings at a glance (GAAP) :
-Earnings: $35.766 Bln. vs. $27.233 Bln. last year. -EPS: $4.81 vs. $3.65 last year. -Revenue: $90.007 Bln vs. $76.441 Bln last year.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Microsoft Corporation Profit Rises In Q4

Key Points
GE Vernova allows artificial intelligence data centers to take power production matters into their own hands.
It’s technically a utility stock, but Vistra is a highly flexible power provider that’s no stranger to meeting institutional-level and industrial-level needs.
Construction equipment maker Caterpillar can deliver turnkey electricity-generating solutions at a meaningful scale right now.
Speaking to a Stanford University computer science class in May, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang raised eyebrows by saying, "The amount of energy that we need for [AI] computing is likely probably 1,000 times more than we currently have." He didn't add any additional detail to his mental math and even conceded, "I wouldn't be surprised if we're off by a couple orders of magnitude." If his goal was simply to provide some tangible perspective -- for effect -- on what the energy industry needs to accomplish in the foreseeable future, then mission accomplished.
The projected scope makes sense. Also in May, Goldman Sachs predicted that the power U.S. data centers alone would need would more than double between 2025 and 2027, from 31 gigawatts (GW) to 66 GW. At peak usage, this would push the domestic AI industry's consumption from just over 4% of the nation's total power output to well over 8%. Extending this trend, Bloom Energy predicts artificial intelligence could be using up to 12% of the United States' produced electricity by 2030, and it would still just be getting started.
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The same dynamics are taking shape outside of the U.S. as well, of course.
It's an opportunity, to be sure, but only for companies already ready to capitalize on it. To this end, here's a closer look at three industrial names already seeing the upside of the surge in power demand.
1. GE Vernova
GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) is the former power-generation arm of industrial titan General Electric, which began splitting itself into smaller, more manageable pieces in 2021. This particular offshoot makes everything from wind turbines to nuclear reactors to hydropower systems to power grid solutions.Its red-hot equipment right now, however, is natural gas turbines.
Originally intended for utility companies, these power plants -- capable of producing anywhere from 34.5 megawatts to 571 megawatts of power -- are ideally suited to power data centers due to their scalability, ability to be throttled as needed, and relatively small footprint. Just as important, on-premises power generation means AI data center owners/operators don't need to wait for time-consuming (and often costly) connections to a power grid. That's why PwC believes the United States' data center-driven demand for natural gas could easily quintuple between last year and 2035, with an outside chance of further growth taking shape even sooner.
GE Vernova won't supply all the turbines linked to this surge in demand for natural gas. With a companywide backlog of $176 billion (nearly two-thirds of which is gas turbine-related) versus 2026's expected revenue of about $46 billion, however -- and a gas power equipment backlog that grew from 100 GW to 116 GW in Q2 alone - this company's certainly going to meet a huge chunk of this demand.
2. Vistra
Technically speaking, Vistra (NYSE: VST) isn't an industrial company. It's categorized as a power utility, though even by utility-stock standards, it's not exactly your typical power company. While it does directly provide electricity to about 5 million residential and business customers, Vistra's core business is generating and then selling electricity on a wholesale basis to other utility companies sharing the same grid.
The company's now making the most of this flexibility too. For instance, rather than merely connecting new artificial intelligence data centers to existing grid infrastructure and treating them like any other customer, Vistra is now entering long-term power purchase agreements directly with institutions. Early this year, the company announced it had inked long-term deals with Amazon and Facebook parent Meta Platforms to supply both tech companies with the electricity needed for existing and new AI data centers.
Such arrangements still account for only a relatively small part of the company's total business. In that these long-term agreements allow Vistra to make capital investments -- particularly in nuclear power -- with a reasonably assured return on the investment, the company can add power production capacity with the confidence that ultimately allows it to build more efficient infrastructure.
In other words, it's a win-win. That's why you shouldn't be surprised to see more such dealmaking in the future, particularly from Vistra, which has already shown its interest in custom-designed power provision solutions.
3. Caterpillar
Finally, add Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) -- yes, the construction equipment company -- to your list of stocks that will benefit from the AI industry's exploding demand for electricity. It's already benefiting, in fact.
You know it best as a maker of bulldozers, backhoes, and dump trucks. And that's still a huge part of its business to be sure. Largely overlooked, though, is that Caterpillar also manufactures high-capacity mobile diesel and gas generators, battery-based energy storage systems, and more, all of which are proving to be much-needed stopgap solutions while data center owners and operators are waiting on more permanent equipment. Outfits including Space Exploration Technologies and Microsoft (through Nscale) are utilizing off-grid generators to power some of their AI data centers.
To this end, while all of Caterpillar's business lines grew last year, its power generation arm, which provides these generators, experienced company-leading growth of roughly 30%. The company expects this business to double between 2025 and 2030, and S&P Global doesn't exactly disagree with this outlook. It's looking for Caterpillar's power and energy division to grow another 17% this year -- from last year's revenue of $33.4 billion -- en route to $54.8 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
Should you buy stock in GE Vernova right now?
Before you buy stock in GE Vernova, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and GE Vernova wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $390,394!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,209,184!*
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James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Bloom Energy, Caterpillar, GE Vernova, Goldman Sachs Group, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, S&P Global, and Vistra. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Jensen Huang Says AI Needs "1,000 Times More Power Than We Currently Have." These 3 Industrial Stocks Will Deliver It.

The following companies are expected to report earnings after hours on 07/29/2026. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases.
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The computer software company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 15 analysts that follow the stock is $4.21. This value represents a 15.34% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year MSFT has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.91%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for MSFT is 23.55 vs. an industry ratio of 20.40, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The internet software company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 13 analysts that follow the stock is $7.10. This value represents a 0.56% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year META has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 8.94%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for META is 20.18 vs. an industry ratio of 143.20.
Lam Research Corporation (LRCX)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The electric company company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.69. This value represents a 27.07% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year LRCX has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 8.09%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for LRCX is 47.47 vs. an industry ratio of 28.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Arm Holdings plc (ARM)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The electric company company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.18. This value represents a 12.50% increase compared to the same quarter last year. ARM missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2026 by -5.26%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2027 Price to Earnings ratio for ARM is 218.52 vs. an industry ratio of 28.70, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The electric company company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $1.54. This value represents a 32.75% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year QCOM has met analyst expectations once and beat the expectations the other three quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for QCOM is 20.41 vs. an industry ratio of 28.70.
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The restaurant company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.66. This value represents a 32.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for SBUX is 42.78 vs. an industry ratio of -4.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The security company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 11 analysts that follow the stock is $0.66. This value represents a 13.79% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FTNT has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 37.74%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for FTNT is 53.56 vs. an industry ratio of 254.80.
Equinix, Inc. (EQIX)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The reit company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $10.14. This value represents a 2.32% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year EQIX has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 1st calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 9.54%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for EQIX is 27.06 vs. an industry ratio of 14.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CP)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The transportation (rail) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $0.89. This value represents a 9.88% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for CP is 24.85 vs. an industry ratio of 18.00, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The wholesale retail company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $0.85. This value represents a 8.97% increase compared to the same quarter last year. ORLY missed the consensus earnings per share in the 4th calendar quarter of 2025 by -1.39%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for ORLY is 28.14 vs. an industry ratio of 20.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The investment bankers company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.43. This value represents a 2.38% increase compared to the same quarter last year. HOOD missed the consensus earnings per share in the 1st calendar quarter of 2026 by -5%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for HOOD is 47.57 vs. an industry ratio of 16.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Deutsche Bank AG (DB)is reporting for the quarter ending June 30, 2026. The bank (foreign) company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 2 analysts that follow the stock is $0.91. This value represents a 68.52% increase compared to the same quarter last year. DB missed the consensus earnings per share in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2025 by -30.77%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for DB is 9.04 vs. an industry ratio of 12.20.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

After-Hours Earnings Report for July 29, 2026 : MSFT, META, LRCX, ARM, QCOM, SBUX, FTNT, EQIX, CP, ORLY, HOOD, DB

Key Points
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.7%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.0%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.3% in mid-day trading on Wednesday.
Oil prices jumped more than 6% on renewed tensions in the Middle East.
After the closing bell, Microsoft and Meta will report earnings in a financial test of massive AI infrastructure spending.
Well, so much for that brief moment of Middle East calm.
U.S. stocks fell sharply in midday trading Wednesday as geopolitical tensions reignited and investors positioned ahead of the Federal Reserve's 2:00 p.m. ET policy decision. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) is down 1.7% at mid-day, led lower by Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) dropping 7.3% and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) falling 4.6% on macroeconomic concerns. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has shed 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) is down by 1.3%.
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All three indexes opened in the red, made a half-hearted attempt at stabilization around 11 a.m. ET, then gave up and slid lower again.
Geopolitical chaos meets central bank uncertainty
The immediate trigger for today's selling? Oil prices rocketing more than 6%.
President Donald Trump told Fox News the U.S. would give Iran "a beating" following an overnight missile attack on American forces. That was the end of last Friday's diplomatic progress. You know the ripple effects that follow when oil prices are on the move. Every company depends on energy in some way, so high oil prices quickly get expensive for retailers, tech giants, and manufacturers.
Then there's the Fed. At 2:00 p.m., Chairman Kevin Warsh will announce the latest policy decision, and futures markets are pricing in a nearly 70% chance that rates stay put in the current 3.5% to 3.75% range. But the real drama will come during Warsh's press conference, where traders will parse every word for hints on whether the Fed is sticking with "higher-for-longer" or if recent oil price swings and stubborn inflation readings are raising fresh concerns.
Semiconductor stocks bore the brunt of the technology sector sell-off. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SOXX) plunged 4.4%, extending a 10% weekly decline. Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) dropped 5.7%, and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) fell 5.8%. They didn't do anything wrong, other than being richly valued growth stocks on a de-risking kind of market day.
And it's earnings season. Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) beat analyst estimates and Boeing (NYSE: BA) posted a mixed report. Both stocks fell, erasing a combined 109 points from the Dow.
What's next?
The market drama won't stop here. Two Magnificent 7 companies are reporting earnings tonight, and another two tomorrow. Besides their financials, whatever they say about data center plans and AI investments will surely move the markets for the rest of this week.
Sometimes the market throws multiple curveballs at once. The daily drama may open some opportunities and close others, so there's nothing wrong with tracking the headlines. Still, the best strategy is to stay focused on the predictable value of long-term fundamentals.
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Anders Bylund has positions in Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Boeing, Caterpillar, Goldman Sachs Group, Meta Platforms, Micron Technology, Microsoft, and iShares Trust-iShares Semiconductor ETF. The Motley Fool recommends Sherwin-Williams. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Market Indexes Tumble on Geopolitical Tensions and Chip Stock Selloff

Pre-market futures are flat-to-down ahead of today’s open, with overseas turbulence in the memory chip market reverberating on domestic shores. We also see something of a hesitation in trading ahead of this afternoon’s Fed decision on interest rates. The Dow is off -340 points at this hour, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is -7, while the S&P 500 and small-cap Russell 2000 are flat.
Saudi Arabia attacked Iran-backed forced in Iraq, demonstrating a further widening of the conflict that originally had been contained to the U.S. and Israel versus Iran. Spot oil prices are back up again this morning, but still just in the $80s per barrel (/bbl); a week ago, Brent crude had surged back over $100/bbl.
South Korean Finance Takes Measures to Calm Market
The finance minister of South Korea overnight has initiated caps on single-stock leveraged ETFs — a clear move to quiet market volatility related to SK Hynix (SKHY), one of the top memory chip producers in the world, which is a key component in the AI trade. The Korean stock market, KOSPI, was down another -6%, -15% over the last week.
This is reportedly the first time the country has applied the breaks to a particular stock trading entity, and it comes the day SK Hynix missed on both top and bottom lines in its first publicly trading earnings report this morning. Both operating profits and sales, however, rose triple-digits in the quarter. The company, one of the biggest suppliers to NVIDIA (NVDA), is down -1% on the news, -22% since its IPO less than three weeks ago.
FOMC Decision: No Longer a Slam Dunk?
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) concludes its fifth meeting so far in 2026, and the first one where analysts have an inkling something might change on the Fed funds rate. Particularly, a quarter-points rate hike has been bandied about as a possibility today over the past week or so, likely due to inflation rates dancing up around +4% over the past couple months and uncertainties around the Strait of Hormuz.
With Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s new methodology intentionally less transparent than the last three Fed chairs (Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and Jerome Powell), it’s tough to get a read on what results his leadership will glean this afternoon at 2pm ET. But from this vista, despite whether more hawkish members of the Fed cast their votes to raise interest rates, it’s hard to see a Warsh-led consensus bringing this about so early into his tenure. Unless he’s looking for a fight from President Trump.
Q2 Roundup at a Glance: PG, HUM & More
Procter & Gamble (PG) beat on fiscal Q4 earnings this morning by 2 cents per share, while missing slightly on its top line to $21.2 billion, above the $20.89 billion reported a year ago.
Health insurance giant Humana (HUM) posted a huge Q2 earnings beat this morning: $7.61 per share versus $6.22 in the Zacks consensus, for a +22.35% positive earnings surprise. Revenues of $40.89 billion outpaced expectations by +0.59%.
Biotech major Biogen (BIIB) provided one of the strongest quarterly reports of the morning, with Q2 earnings of $3.60 per share well above the $3.04 projected, on revenues of $2.74 billion which outperformed estimates by +9.4%.
Vans, Timberland and The North Face parent V.F. Corp. (VFC) posted its first earnings miss in the last four quarters: -$0.27 per share versus -$0.22 expected. Revenues of $1.67 billion was -0.29% below consensus.
After the close, we’ll see results from two key “Mag 7” companies, Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta Platforms (META), In addition, reports are also due from Qualcomm (QCOM) and Starbucks (SBUX), among others, this afternoon.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
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Biogen Inc. (BIIB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Q2 Earnings Season in Full Swing

Wednesday, July 29th, 2026
Pre-market futures are flat-to-down ahead of today’s open, with overseas turbulence in the memory chip market reverberating on domestic shores. We also see something of a hesitation in trading ahead of this afternoon’s Fed decision on interest rates. The Dow is off -340 points at this hour, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is -7, while the S&P 500 and small-cap Russell 2000 are flat.
Saudi Arabia attacked Iran-backed forced in Iraq, demonstrating a further widening of the conflict that originally had been contained to the U.S. and Israel versus Iran. Spot oil prices are back up again this morning, but still just in the $80s per barrel (/bbl); a week ago, Brent crude had surged back over $100/bbl.
South Korean Finance Takes Measures to Calm Market
The finance minister of South Korea overnight has initiated caps on single-stock leveraged ETFs — a clear move to quiet market volatility related to SK Hynix SKHY, one of the top memory chip producers in the world, which is a key component in the AI trade. The Korean stock market, KOSPI, was down another -6%, -15% over the last week.
This is reportedly the first time the country has applied the breaks to a particular stock trading entity, and it comes the day SK Hynix missed on both top and bottom lines in its first publicly trading earnings report this morning. Both operating profits and sales, however, rose triple-digits in the quarter. The company, one of the biggest suppliers to NVIDIA NVDA, is down -1% on the news, -22% since its IPO less than three weeks ago.
FOMC Decision: No Longer a Slam Dunk?
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) concludes its fifth meeting so far in 2026, and the first one where analysts have an inkling something might change on the Fed funds rate. Particularly, a quarter-points rate hike has been bandied about as a possibility today over the past week or so, likely due to inflation rates dancing up around +4% over the past couple months and uncertainties around the Strait of Hormuz.
With Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s new methodology intentionally less transparent than the last three Fed chairs (Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and Jerome Powell), it’s tough to get a read on what results his leadership will glean this afternoon at 2pm ET. But from this vista, despite whether more hawkish members of the Fed cast their votes to raise interest rates, it’s hard to see a Warsh-led consensus bringing this about so early into his tenure. Unless he’s looking for a fight from President Trump.
Q2 Roundup at a Glance: PG, HUM & More
Procter & Gamble PG beat on fiscal Q4 earnings this morning by 2 cents per share, while missing slightly on its top line to $21.2 billion, above the $20.89 billion reported a year ago. For more on PG’s earnings, click here.
Health insurance giant Humana HUM posted a huge Q2 earnings beat this morning: $7.61 per share versus $6.22 in the Zacks consensus, for a +22.35% positive earnings surprise. Revenues of $40.89 billion outpaced expectations by +0.59%. For more on HUM’s earnings, click here.
Biotech major Biogen BIIB provided one of the strongest quarterly reports of the morning, with Q2 earnings of $3.60 per share well above the $3.04 projected, on revenues of $2.74 billion which outperformed estimates by +9.4%. For more on BIIB’s earnings, click here.
Vans, Timberland and The North Face parent V.F. Corp. VFC posted its first earnings miss in the last four quarters: -$0.27 per share versus -$0.22 expected. Revenues of $1.67 billion was -0.29% below consensus. For more on VFC’s earnings, click here.
After the close, we’ll see results from two key “Mag 7” companies, Microsoft MSFT and Meta Platforms META, In addition, reports are also due from Qualcomm QCOM and Starbucks SBUX, among others, this afternoon.
Questions or comments about this article and/or author? Click here>>
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Investors Await Fed Decision Today

The Dow and the S&P 500 ended higher on Tuesday, driven by robust earnings and a decline in energy prices, as investors continued to dump chip stocks and take refuge in other defensive assets. The Nasdaq ended in negative territory.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) jumped 1%, or 537.24 points, to close at 52,747.32 points.
The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, to finish at 7,428.78 points. Health care, communication services, and consumer staples stocks were the biggest gainers, while energy and tech stocks were the worst performers.
The Information Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) lost 1.8%, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) dropped 1.4%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) gained 2.4%. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 2%, while the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) rose 1.9%. Seven of the 11 sectors of the benchmark index ended in positive territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.2%, to end at 24,876.91 points.
The fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), was down 2.46% to 18.21. Advancers outnumbered decliners on the S&P 500 by a 2.5-to-1 ratio. A total of 17.2 billion shares were traded on Tuesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 17.4 billion.
On the S&P 500, there were 63 new 52-week highs and one new low.
Robust Earnings Boost Markets, Chip Selloff Continues
The S&P 500 rallied on Tuesday, boosted by gains in The Boeing Company (BA) and The Coca-Cola Company (KO) after the companies reported their quarterly results. Shares of Boeing jumped 4.8% despite the company reporting a wider-than-expected loss in the second quarter of 2026.
Boeing reported a quarterly loss of $0.76 per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.34. However, it posted revenues of $24.56 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.11%.
The Coca-Cola Company reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $0.97 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.92 per share. The company’s shares ended up 5%.
Dow, which posted its third straight day of gains, got a boost from The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW). The company’s shares jumped 8.3% after it reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $3.7 per share, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.56 per share. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The earnings season is fast gathering pace, and robust quarterly results from some of the industry bellwethers somewhat offset the bleeding chip stocks. Investors are concerned that companies like Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) and Alphabet, Inc. (GOOGL) are investing too much in AI data centers, which could be a risky affair.
Chip stocks continued to suffer on Tuesday, with the PHLX Semiconductor (SOX) declining 4.5%. Investors are now waiting to see the quarterly guidance from tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Inc. (AAPL) and Meta Platforms Inc. (META), which will report their quarterly results this week.
Declining oil prices also helped markets, as Iran started talks with Oman and Saudi Arabia regarding the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate crude futures dropped nearly 4% to end at $79.26 a barrel. International Brent crude settled at $84.09, declining 4.8%.
Economic Data
The Conference Board reported on Tuesday that consumer confidence fell to 90.8 in July from an upwardly revised 92.2 in the prior month. The reading came sharply lower than the consensus estimate of a rise to 92.3.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
CocaCola Company (The) (KO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

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