Opportunity Amid Software Stock Sell-Off
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 day ago
0mins
Should l Buy MSFT?
Source: Fool
- Market Overreaction: The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF has dropped 30% since late October due to fears of AI competition, yet high switching costs may prevent businesses from easily changing software providers, suggesting future earnings could be more predictable than the market anticipates.
- Microsoft's Growth Potential: Microsoft 365 Commercial sales rose 14% year-over-year, with consumer sales up 27% and Dynamics 365 sales increasing by 17%, showcasing strong software performance under AI integration, while its forward P/E ratio stands at just 24, indicating a low valuation.
- Atlassian's Cloud Transition: Atlassian is pushing customers to its cloud-based platform, achieving a 120% net revenue retention rate for cloud customers in fiscal 2025, with momentum expected to continue into 2026; despite a forward P/E of 21, management forecasts an 18% revenue growth.
- Adobe's AI Integration: AI-influenced products accounted for one-third of Adobe's annual recurring revenue, and despite fears of AI displacing its software, its recurring revenue continues to grow at a double-digit pace, with the stock currently trading at less than 12 times forward earnings, highlighting its attractiveness.
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Analyst Views on MSFT
Wall Street analysts forecast MSFT stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
32 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 401.840
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 401.840
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company that develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. Its Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services, spanning a variety of devices and platforms. It comprises Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services; Microsoft 365 Consumer products and cloud services; LinkedIn, and Dynamics products and cloud services. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of its public, private, and hybrid server products and cloud services. It comprises server products and cloud services, including Azure, and enterprise and partner services, including Enterprise Support Services. Its More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows and Devices, including Windows OEM licensing; Gaming, including Xbox hardware and Xbox content; Search and news advertising, comprising Bing and Copilot, Microsoft News, and Microsoft Edge.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Microsoft's Copilot User Growth and Market Potential
- User Growth Data: Microsoft revealed that Copilot reached 15 million paying users in its latest earnings call, reflecting a 160% year-over-year growth, although this figure appears small compared to its 450 million Microsoft 365 paid users, indicating potential market demand.
- Market Competition Analysis: While Copilot's conversion rate stands at approximately 3.3%, lower than ChatGPT's 5%, Microsoft's existing user base provides a solid opportunity for future growth through cross-selling, especially as AI tools become more mainstream.
- Revenue Potential Outlook: Should Microsoft achieve another 160% growth in users over the next year, it could generate an additional $8.6 billion in revenue, which represents nearly 3% of its projected $328 billion revenue for fiscal year 2026, highlighting Copilot's commercial value.
- Strategic Positioning and Competitive Advantage: With significant equity stakes in both OpenAI and Anthropic, Microsoft can leverage AI to enhance Microsoft 365's competitiveness, thereby maintaining its leadership in the office software market and mitigating competitive pressures in the future.
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Microsoft Faces Intensifying Competition in Cloud Computing
- Cloud Competition: Microsoft faces fierce competition in the cloud computing sector from Amazon and Alphabet, with Azure's revenue growth of 39% lagging behind Google Cloud's 48%, indicating market share pressures.
- Rising Infrastructure Costs: The company's increasing infrastructure costs have raised concerns among investors, as CFO Amy Hood noted a direct correlation between capital expenditures and Azure's revenue, potentially impacting future returns on investment.
- Stock Valuation Decline: Microsoft's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has fallen to 25, nearing its lowest level in three years, reflecting market caution regarding its growth prospects, despite analysts' price target of $596 suggesting a 48% upside.
- Investor Sentiment Weakens: Following the earnings report on January 28, Microsoft's stock has dropped 16%, leading to investor doubts about the returns from its AI infrastructure investments, although the low valuation may present a buying opportunity in the long run.
See More
Analyzing the Reasons Behind Microsoft's Stock Decline
- AI Revolution Catalyst: Microsoft, having invested billions in OpenAI three years ago to kickstart the AI revolution, has seen its stock drop 16% recently, indicating investor concerns about future growth.
- Cloud Service Competitive Pressure: While Azure's revenue grew 39% year-over-year in Q4, it lags behind AWS's 24% and Google Cloud's 48%, potentially undermining investor confidence in Azure's growth trajectory.
- Rising Infrastructure Costs: Microsoft's CFO noted that investors are uneasy about the correlation between capital expenditures and Azure's revenue, suggesting skepticism about the return on investment from the company's AI infrastructure investments.
- Attractive Valuation: With a price-to-earnings ratio of 25, near its lowest in three years, and a consensus price target of $596 implying 48% upside, the market shows confidence in Microsoft's AI roadmap despite execution risks in infrastructure development.
See More
Analysis of Microsoft's Stock Price Decline
- AI Investment Concerns: Since Microsoft's investment in OpenAI three years ago, the company has rapidly integrated AI into its ecosystem; however, a recent 16% stock price drop reflects investor worries about the return on investment from its AI infrastructure, particularly in relation to Azure's revenue growth.
- Cloud Service Market Competition: For the quarter ending December 31, Azure's revenue grew 39% year-over-year, outperforming AWS's 24% growth but lagging behind Google Cloud's 48%, raising investor doubts about Azure's growth rate and impacting market confidence.
- Attractive Valuation: With a current price-to-earnings ratio of 25, near its lowest in three years, and a consensus price target of $596 suggesting a 48% upside, Wall Street remains confident in Microsoft's AI roadmap despite execution risks.
- Cautious Buy Recommendation: While the recent stock price decline may be an overreaction, analysts recommend a cautious approach to buying Microsoft stock, noting uncertainties surrounding the success of its infrastructure build-outs, advising against a full commitment.
See More
Global Stock Markets Jitter Amid AI Disruption
- Market Turmoil Intensifies: Over the past few weeks, global stock markets have experienced significant volatility due to concerns over AI disruption, particularly with software companies like Dassault Systemes facing their largest one-day drop in history, indicating high investor sensitivity to AI impacts.
- Wealth Management Under Pressure: Wealth management firms such as St James's Place and Aberdeen Group have suffered severe losses, reflecting market panic over the potential effects of AI, leading to deep financial setbacks for these companies.
- Analyst Warnings: UBS analysts have cautioned that the AI-driven sell-off signifies a
See More
Valuations of the Magnificent Seven Stocks Approaching Attractive Levels
- Valuations Near Market Average: The Magnificent Seven stocks trade at forward P/E ratios between 22 and 30, aligning closely with the S&P 500's 21.8, indicating that despite their strong performance, they are not overvalued, making them attractive for investors.
- Nvidia's Growth Potential: Nvidia is projected to see a 52% revenue increase in FY 2027, primarily driven by over $500 billion in capital expenditures planned by Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta for data centers in 2026, which will significantly boost orders for its computing units and further accelerate growth.
- Strong Performance from Microsoft: Following its Q2 FY 2026 earnings, Microsoft exceeded expectations with Azure's cloud platform achieving a 39% year-over-year growth, and despite a drop in stock price, this presents an excellent buying opportunity for investors, highlighting its critical role in the AI investment trend.
- Meta's Low Valuation: With a forward P/E of 22.2, Meta is undervalued despite a 22% revenue growth in Q4 2025 and projected growth rates of 25% and 17% for the next two years, suggesting that investors can capitalize on this low valuation to acquire shares of a company expected to outperform the market's typical growth rate.
See More
Microsoft's Copilot User Growth and Market Potential
- User Growth Data: Microsoft revealed that Copilot reached 15 million paying users in its latest earnings call, reflecting a 160% year-over-year growth, although this figure appears small compared to its 450 million Microsoft 365 paid users, indicating potential market demand.
- Market Competition Analysis: While Copilot's conversion rate stands at approximately 3.3%, lower than ChatGPT's 5%, Microsoft's existing user base provides a solid opportunity for future growth through cross-selling, especially as AI tools become more mainstream.
- Revenue Potential Outlook: Should Microsoft achieve another 160% growth in users over the next year, it could generate an additional $8.6 billion in revenue, which represents nearly 3% of its projected $328 billion revenue for fiscal year 2026, highlighting Copilot's commercial value.
- Strategic Positioning and Competitive Advantage: With significant equity stakes in both OpenAI and Anthropic, Microsoft can leverage AI to enhance Microsoft 365's competitiveness, thereby maintaining its leadership in the office software market and mitigating competitive pressures in the future.
See More
Microsoft Faces Intensifying Competition in Cloud Computing
- Cloud Competition: Microsoft faces fierce competition in the cloud computing sector from Amazon and Alphabet, with Azure's revenue growth of 39% lagging behind Google Cloud's 48%, indicating market share pressures.
- Rising Infrastructure Costs: The company's increasing infrastructure costs have raised concerns among investors, as CFO Amy Hood noted a direct correlation between capital expenditures and Azure's revenue, potentially impacting future returns on investment.
- Stock Valuation Decline: Microsoft's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has fallen to 25, nearing its lowest level in three years, reflecting market caution regarding its growth prospects, despite analysts' price target of $596 suggesting a 48% upside.
- Investor Sentiment Weakens: Following the earnings report on January 28, Microsoft's stock has dropped 16%, leading to investor doubts about the returns from its AI infrastructure investments, although the low valuation may present a buying opportunity in the long run.
See More
Analyzing the Reasons Behind Microsoft's Stock Decline
- AI Revolution Catalyst: Microsoft, having invested billions in OpenAI three years ago to kickstart the AI revolution, has seen its stock drop 16% recently, indicating investor concerns about future growth.
- Cloud Service Competitive Pressure: While Azure's revenue grew 39% year-over-year in Q4, it lags behind AWS's 24% and Google Cloud's 48%, potentially undermining investor confidence in Azure's growth trajectory.
- Rising Infrastructure Costs: Microsoft's CFO noted that investors are uneasy about the correlation between capital expenditures and Azure's revenue, suggesting skepticism about the return on investment from the company's AI infrastructure investments.
- Attractive Valuation: With a price-to-earnings ratio of 25, near its lowest in three years, and a consensus price target of $596 implying 48% upside, the market shows confidence in Microsoft's AI roadmap despite execution risks in infrastructure development.
See More
Analysis of Microsoft's Stock Price Decline
- AI Investment Concerns: Since Microsoft's investment in OpenAI three years ago, the company has rapidly integrated AI into its ecosystem; however, a recent 16% stock price drop reflects investor worries about the return on investment from its AI infrastructure, particularly in relation to Azure's revenue growth.
- Cloud Service Market Competition: For the quarter ending December 31, Azure's revenue grew 39% year-over-year, outperforming AWS's 24% growth but lagging behind Google Cloud's 48%, raising investor doubts about Azure's growth rate and impacting market confidence.
- Attractive Valuation: With a current price-to-earnings ratio of 25, near its lowest in three years, and a consensus price target of $596 suggesting a 48% upside, Wall Street remains confident in Microsoft's AI roadmap despite execution risks.
- Cautious Buy Recommendation: While the recent stock price decline may be an overreaction, analysts recommend a cautious approach to buying Microsoft stock, noting uncertainties surrounding the success of its infrastructure build-outs, advising against a full commitment.
See More
Global Stock Markets Jitter Amid AI Disruption
- Market Turmoil Intensifies: Over the past few weeks, global stock markets have experienced significant volatility due to concerns over AI disruption, particularly with software companies like Dassault Systemes facing their largest one-day drop in history, indicating high investor sensitivity to AI impacts.
- Wealth Management Under Pressure: Wealth management firms such as St James's Place and Aberdeen Group have suffered severe losses, reflecting market panic over the potential effects of AI, leading to deep financial setbacks for these companies.
- Analyst Warnings: UBS analysts have cautioned that the AI-driven sell-off signifies a
See More
Valuations of the Magnificent Seven Stocks Approaching Attractive Levels
- Valuations Near Market Average: The Magnificent Seven stocks trade at forward P/E ratios between 22 and 30, aligning closely with the S&P 500's 21.8, indicating that despite their strong performance, they are not overvalued, making them attractive for investors.
- Nvidia's Growth Potential: Nvidia is projected to see a 52% revenue increase in FY 2027, primarily driven by over $500 billion in capital expenditures planned by Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta for data centers in 2026, which will significantly boost orders for its computing units and further accelerate growth.
- Strong Performance from Microsoft: Following its Q2 FY 2026 earnings, Microsoft exceeded expectations with Azure's cloud platform achieving a 39% year-over-year growth, and despite a drop in stock price, this presents an excellent buying opportunity for investors, highlighting its critical role in the AI investment trend.
- Meta's Low Valuation: With a forward P/E of 22.2, Meta is undervalued despite a 22% revenue growth in Q4 2025 and projected growth rates of 25% and 17% for the next two years, suggesting that investors can capitalize on this low valuation to acquire shares of a company expected to outperform the market's typical growth rate.
See More
