Fact based stock research
Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT)

US5949181045

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

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Microsoft stock research in summary

microsoft.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with investment alternatives), Microsoft (Systems Software, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Microsoft are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 75) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 74, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 76, is a strong buy recommendation based on Microsoft's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Microsoft exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 45), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 75). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 74) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more


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Country USA
Industry Systems Software
Index Dow Jones, Dividends USA, Diversity USA, Human Rights, Renewables Users, Recycling, NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, S&P 500
Size class XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Mar-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.




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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Microsoft

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Microsoft is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with investment alternatives), Microsoft (Systems Software, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Microsoft are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 75) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 74, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 76, is a strong buy recommendation based on Microsoft's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Microsoft exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 45), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 75). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 74) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Microsoft the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Microsoft shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Microsoft. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 85% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 9 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 91% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Microsoft's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 42 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 58% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 34 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 66% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 45, is a hold recommendation based on Microsoft's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Microsoft? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Microsoft only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more


VALUE METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Microsoft; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Microsoft shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Microsoft. Sales Growth has a rank of 67 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 67% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 57, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 77, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 47, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 53% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 75, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Microsoft.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 74 (better than 74% compared with alternatives), the company Microsoft has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Microsoft is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Microsoft. Leverage is at a rank of 56, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 56% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 90, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 90% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 26, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 74% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 74 (better than 74% compared with alternatives), Microsoft has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Microsoft. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Microsoft and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Microsoft and the more cash is available to service its debt.


Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT 2021 2022 2023 2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Microsoft.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Microsoft from March 14, 2024.

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