Microsoft (MSFT) Projected to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expected to post its Q1 2027 results after the market closes on Wednesday, October 28th. Analysts expect Microsoft to announce earnings of $4.71 per share and revenue of $90.62 billion for the quarter. Investors may review the information on the company’s upcoming Q1 2027 earnings overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 5:30 PM ET.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. On average, analysts expect Microsoft to post $19.66 EPS for the current fiscal year and $23.29 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $532.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The business has a fifty day moving average of $508.43 and a 200 day moving average of $437.18. Microsoft has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to approximately 60,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. The program is aimed at reducing costs and reallocating resources toward artificial intelligence, data centers and other strategic priorities. Investors appear to view the move as a way to help offset the company’s substantial AI infrastructure spending. Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer lifted its target to $625 from $570, while Truist raised its target to $600 from $575 and maintained a Buy rating, citing resilient Azure growth and strong enterprise demand. Oppenheimer raises Microsoft target ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects continued momentum in Azure and Copilot monetization. Microsoft reports fiscal first-quarter results on October 28, making cloud growth, AI demand and spending efficiency important near-term catalysts. Microsoft stock gains as Wall Street sees Azure growth

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MSFT. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Microsoft from $660.00 to $662.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $594.11.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.