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Microsoft Corporation

MSFT
77
Software - Infrastructure · Technology
Price
$529.05
-10.39 (-1.93%)
Market Cap
$3.93T
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
77
Winston is happy
A high-quality business with solid fundamentals.
Data as of Oct 18, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026

§How the score breaks down

Quality
Exceptional
28/30
Growth
Exceptional
19/20
Cash Flow
Exceptional
10/10
Stability
Exceptional
10/10
Valuation
Strong
7/10
Ownership
Weak
1/15
Dividends
Mixed
2/5

77 of 100 counted points = Winston Score 77.

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Share count falling — buybacks

−1.2% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 7.54B (2022) → 7.45B (2026)

§Winston Score History

The full picture

Microsoft makes software, cloud services, and devices used by billions of people and businesses around the world. Its most well-known products include Windows, the Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and the Xbox gaming platform. It also owns LinkedIn, the professional networking site, and GitHub, a platform used by software developers.

Microsoft earns money through software subscriptions, cloud computing services, advertising, and hardware sales. Its Azure cloud platform competes directly with Amazon Web Services and is one of the largest cloud businesses in the world, giving Microsoft a strong foothold in enterprise technology. The company operates globally, with revenue spread across consumers, large corporations, and governments. With a gross margin near 68%, Microsoft's software and cloud businesses generate highly profitable recurring revenue. The key growth driver is continued expansion of Azure and AI-powered tools like Copilot, though rising competition in cloud and potential regulatory scrutiny over its AI partnerships remain notable risks.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+17.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+31.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$35.6B/ year

↑ Rising (+9% vs prior year)

10.7% of revenue

Below sector average (15%)

Investing heavily in future products and technology

Insider Activity

0.1%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$113.2B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Microsoft Corporation is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 18%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
67.2%
Premium pricing power — 67.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
45.1%
Excellent — 45.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
27.2%
Exceptional — 27.2% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+17.8%
Fast-growing sales (+17.8% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+31.5%
Earnings growing fast (+31.5% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
8/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
137%
Turns 137% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
20.2%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (20.2%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.29
Conservative — low debt load (0.29)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
50.88x
Comfortably covers interest (50.9x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
29.4x
Growth-priced — P/E 29.4

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+12.2
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (29.4 → 17.2)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
0.79%
Small dividend — 0.79% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+9.1%
Dividend growing modestly (9.1% YoY)
Payout Ratio
20%
no trend
Pays out a modest share of profit and keeps the rest to reinvest. Room to keep paying through a weak year.

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