Microsoft Stock Pressured by Slowing Azure Growth
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 06 2026
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Stock Decline: Microsoft's stock has dropped nearly 30% over the past six months, currently trading near its 52-week low, reflecting market concerns about its future growth, particularly due to slowing Azure growth.
- Azure Growth Slowdown: In the most recent quarter, Azure's sales growth rate was 39%, down from 40% in the previous quarter, and significantly lower than the 50% growth rate five years ago, indicating the difficulty of sustaining high growth rates for any business.
- Valuation Reversion: Microsoft is currently trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 23, aligning with the average of the S&P 500, despite having a market cap of approximately $2.8 trillion, suggesting it may be undervalued as an investment opportunity.
- Long-Term Growth Potential: Despite facing short-term challenges, Microsoft generated over $119 billion in profit over the trailing 12 months, and with significant growth opportunities driven by AI, it may offer substantial returns for long-term investors.
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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: 426.990
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 426.990
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company. The Company develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. The Company’s segments include Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services. This segment primarily comprises: Office Commercial, Office Consumer, LinkedIn, and Dynamics business solutions. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of server products and cloud services, including Azure and other cloud services, SQL Server, Windows Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs), and Nuance and GitHub; and Enterprise Services, including enterprise support services, industry solutions and Nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows, Devices, Gaming, and search and news advertising.
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.
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- Historically Cheap: Microsoft stock is currently trading at around 24 times earnings, significantly lower than its historical average over the past decade, making it an attractive investment opportunity, especially after the bear market of 2022, which has drawn investor interest.
- New Agreement with OpenAI: Microsoft is set to benefit from its new agreement with OpenAI in the next fiscal quarter, with projected income rising to $6 billion from the previously anticipated $4 billion, alleviating investor concerns about cash flow while reducing overall exposure to OpenAI.
- Launch of E7 Platform: On May 1, Microsoft launched Microsoft 365 E7 at $99 per user per month, expected to boost revenue by 2.4% to 2.5%, integrating various products and enhancing enterprise management of AI agents, which could lead to significant revenue increases.
- Analyst Optimism: With 95% of analysts rating Microsoft as a buy and a median 12-month price target of $550, approximately 30% above its current price, there is strong market confidence in Microsoft's growth potential moving forward.
See More
Impact Analysis of AI on SaaS Companies
- Stock Price Decline: ServiceNow and Palantir have seen their stock prices drop by 33% and 23%, respectively, reflecting market concerns about the viability of traditional SaaS models in an AI-driven world, which may weaken investor confidence and future funding capabilities.
- Threat of AI Technology: The rise of agentic AI poses a risk of obsolescence for traditional SaaS companies, particularly those reliant on outdated technologies, as increased efficiency could lead to reduced customer demand, impacting revenue stability.
- Platform Advantages: ServiceNow's Control Tower and Palantir's AI platform provide clients with unified AI management solutions, enhancing customer dependency on their platforms; despite a challenging market environment, both companies demonstrate strong growth potential.
- Valuation Pressure: Although ServiceNow and Palantir are high-growth and profitable companies, their price-to-earnings ratios of 61 and 154, respectively, limit investor buying interest, indicating that investment risks remain under current market conditions.
See More
Apple's Potential in Agentic AI Market
- Market Potential Assessment: Analysts believe Apple is well-positioned in the agentic AI sector, with its robust ecosystem providing a competitive edge, potentially generating $15 billion to $30 billion in AI-related revenue by fiscal 2030, which, while modest relative to Apple's overall revenue, indicates significant growth potential.
- Product Innovation Capability: Apple typically adopts a cautious approach when launching new technologies, innovating on existing models to attract users, as evidenced by the success of the iPhone and AirPods, suggesting it could similarly lead in the AI space.
- User Base Advantage: With over 2 billion devices in circulation, Apple can rapidly deploy new AI features, enhancing user retention and leveraging data to boost network effects, thereby strengthening its market competitiveness.
- Long-term Investment Value: Despite facing tariffs and regulatory scrutiny, Apple's strong customer loyalty and expanding high-margin services segment position it as a solid long-term investment, especially as AI technology matures, with future profit potential looking promising.
See More
The Reality of AI Threatening SaaS Companies
- SaaS Stock Decline: ServiceNow and Palantir Technologies have seen their stock prices drop by 33% and 23%, respectively, reflecting market concerns about the viability of traditional SaaS models in an AI-driven landscape, leading to diminished investor confidence and impacting company valuations.
- Rise of Agentic AI: Agentic AI renders many functions of SaaS software redundant, allowing clients to automate data analysis and marketing campaigns, thereby reducing demand for traditional SaaS subscriptions and affecting long-term revenue models.
- Transformation Challenges: Although ServiceNow and Palantir have made strides in AI, their legacy business models face challenges, particularly as older technology SaaS companies may lose market share during the transition, impacting their competitive edge.
- Valuation Risks: Despite demonstrating strong growth potential, ServiceNow and Palantir trade at trailing P/E ratios of 61 and 154, respectively, indicating that even at lower price points, investors should carefully assess their future investment return potential.
See More
Apple's Potential in the AI Sector
- Analyst Optimism: As Wall Street recognizes Apple's potential in the AI sector, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan raised the stock's price target from $330 to $380, reflecting expectations of $15 billion to $30 billion in future AI revenue, which, while modest compared to Apple's over $400 billion annual sales, indicates significant growth potential.
- Product Innovation Strategy: Apple is not typically the first to market with new technologies, but rather innovates on existing ones, as seen with the success of AirPods and the iPhone, demonstrating a robust strategy that could similarly apply to AI advancements.
- User Base Advantage: With over 2 billion devices in circulation, Apple's vast user base allows for rapid customer reach upon launching new AI features, while also increasing switching costs and enhancing customer loyalty, laying a solid foundation for future AI developments.
- High-Margin Services Growth: Apple is ramping up its high-margin services segment, which is expected to account for a larger share of revenue in the future, further boosting profitability, alongside an impressive 89.5% increase in dividends over the past decade, highlighting its attractiveness as a quality stock.
See More
Investment Prospects for Three Tech Stocks
- Nvidia's Market Position: Despite competition from Cerebras Systems, Nvidia remains the leader in the GPU market with a forward P/E of 23.8, indicating reasonable valuation; its standalone CPU business is expected to generate $20 billion in revenue by year-end, showcasing its strong performance in the AI sector.
- Microsoft's Cloud Investment: Microsoft plans to spend $190 billion on capital expenditures in 2026, primarily to support its cloud computing and AI businesses; although concerns about future business have led to a decline in stock price, its leadership in cloud computing and growing demand for services make it a strong investment choice.
- Meta Platforms' Advertising Potential: With a forward P/E of 19.3, Meta faces challenges like declining daily active users and increased capex, yet its ecosystem of over 3.56 billion users offers ample monetization opportunities, and the application of AI technology enhances advertising effectiveness, indicating long-term growth potential.
- Long-Term Investment Value: Despite market skepticism about the future performance of these tech stocks, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms are still viewed as having strong long-term investment value due to their innovative capabilities and competitive advantages, making them suitable for long-term holding to achieve substantial returns.
See More
