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Microsoft (MSFT) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know
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In the latest trading session, Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) closed at $115.61, marking a +1.09% move from the previous day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.36%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.73%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.11%.
Heading into today, shares of the software maker had gained 2.16% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 0.17% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.73% in that time.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from MSFT as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be October 25, 2018. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.96, up 14.29% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $27.86 billion, up 13.52% from the year-ago period.
MSFT's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $4.25 per share and revenue of $122.41 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +9.54% and +10.92%, respectively.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for MSFT should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. MSFT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, MSFT is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 26.93. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 35.66, so we one might conclude that MSFT is trading at a discount comparatively.
Investors should also note that MSFT has a PEG ratio of 2.19 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. MSFT's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.26 as of yesterday's close.
The Computer - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 70, which puts it in the top 27% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks. Com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
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Microsoft (MSFT) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know
In the latest trading session, Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) closed at $115.61, marking a +1.09% move from the previous day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.36%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.73%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.11%.
Heading into today, shares of the software maker had gained 2.16% over the past month, outpacing the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 0.17% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.73% in that time.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from MSFT as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be October 25, 2018. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.96, up 14.29% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $27.86 billion, up 13.52% from the year-ago period.
MSFT's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $4.25 per share and revenue of $122.41 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +9.54% and +10.92%, respectively.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for MSFT should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. MSFT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, MSFT is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 26.93. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 35.66, so we one might conclude that MSFT is trading at a discount comparatively.
Investors should also note that MSFT has a PEG ratio of 2.19 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. MSFT's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.26 as of yesterday's close.
The Computer - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 70, which puts it in the top 27% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks. Com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.