ACMR
ACM Research, Inc.
ACMR offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over ACMR overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and lower modeled downside.
ACMR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Weak | |
| Healthy |
ACMR's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, but its cash flow is weak.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
ACMR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 15x | $24.47 | -51% |
| Forward | 18x | $49.88 | — |
| Fair | 26x | $41.77 | -16% |
| Current | 31x | $49.88 | — |
| Expensive | 74x | $119 | +139% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ACMR's PE is in its fair range at 31x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 18x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
MSFT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 25x | $523 | — |
| Cheap | 27x | $525 | +0.4% |
| Current | 27x | $523 | — |
| Fair | 34x | $652 | +25% |
| Expensive | 37x | $711 | +36% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MSFT has the edge over ACMR in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
ACMR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
ACMR has the edge over MSFT on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
MSFT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for MSFT, with profitability holding steady.
ACMR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.80 | +75% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.60 | -7.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.10 | +27% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.31 | -17% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.37 | -10% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.73 | +32% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.66 | +33% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.57 | +20% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.53 | +32% |
ACMR earned $1.60 per share over the past year, down 7.5% from the year before.
MSFT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $20.79 | +8.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $19.15 | +36% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.95 | +32% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.80 | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $15.99 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $14.06 | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.64 | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.93 | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.41 | +12% |
MSFT's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $19.15 over the past year, up 36% from the year before, and higher year over year for 14 quarters in a row.
ACMR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $367.7M | +37% |
| Q2 2026 | $292.9M | +36% |
| Q1 2026 | $231.3M | +34% |
| Q4 2025 | $244.4M | +9.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $269.2M | +32% |
| Q2 2025 | $215.4M | +6.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $172.3M | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $223.5M | +31% |
ACMR has the edge over MSFT on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | +4.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 16% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 9.4% | -10 points |
| Q3 2025 | 11% | -11 points |
| Q2 2025 | 15% | -3.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 15% | -1.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 20% | +6 points |
ACMR's operating margin was 15% last quarter, up 4.3 points from the same quarter a year ago.
MSFT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $92.3B | +19% |
| Q2 2026 | $90B | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $82.9B | +18% |
| Q4 2025 | $81.3B | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $77.7B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $76.4B | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $70.1B | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $69.6B | +12% |
MSFT's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $92.3B last quarter, up 19% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 50% | +0.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 45% | +0.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 47% | +1.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 49% | +2.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 45% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 46% | +1.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 45% | +1.9 points |
MSFT has the edge over ACMR on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ACMR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$95.6M | -$80M |
| Q2 2026 | -$71.5M | -$11.8M |
| Q1 2026 | -$51.7M | -$40.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $20.1M | -74% |
| Q3 2025 | -$15.6M | +$5M |
| Q2 2025 | -$59.6M | -223% |
| Q1 2025 | -$11.4M | +$23.6M |
| Q4 2024 | $77.2M | +$122.7M |
ACMR has burned cash in most quarters: −$199M over the past year, against −$10M the year before.
MSFT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.6B | -27% |
| Q2 2026 | $19.6B | -23% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.8B | -22% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.9B | -9.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $25.7B | +33% |
| Q2 2025 | $25.6B | +9.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.3B | -3.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.5B | -29% |
MSFT has the edge over ACMR on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
ACMR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +2.5% | +1.8M shares |
| 1 year | +7.6% | +5.2M shares |
| 3 years | +12% | +8.2M shares |
| 5 years | +13% | +8.2M shares |
| Available history | +28% | +16.2M shares |
ACMR has 74M diluted shares, up 7.6% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q4 2020 | — |
| Q4 2019 | $2M |
MSFT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -7M shares |
| 1 year | -0.3% | -20M shares |
| 3 years | -0.2% | -16M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -121M shares |
| Available history | -3.2% | -245M shares |
MSFT has the edge over ACMR on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q4 2025 | $7.4B |
| Q3 2025 | $5.7B |
| Q2 2025 | $4.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
MSFT spent $21B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 5.2% from the year before.
ACMR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -2.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -4.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -4.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -3.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -5.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
ACMR has the edge over MSFT on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
ACMR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 39.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 13.7 | Oversold |
ACMR's weekly RSI is 40 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 14 (oversold).
MSFT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
MSFT's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
ACMR PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | ACMR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 31x | 28x | 12% above |
| PE % | 54 | 35 | 19 pts above |
ACMR is trading at 31x earnings, a 12% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT has the edge over ACMR on valuation relative to its sector.
ACMR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $59.5 | 16% below |
| 20 week MA | $72.8 | 31% below |
| 50 week MA | $64.2 | 22% below |
| 100 week MA | $45.4 | 10% above |
| 200 week MA | $31.5 | 58% above |
ACMR has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 58% above its 200-week average.
MSFT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $524.7 | 0.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $484.8 | 7.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $446.9 | 17% above |
| 100 week MA | $453.8 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $411.5 | 27% above |
MSFT has the edge over ACMR on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ACMR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6.13 | $23.2 | +279% |
| 2021 | $23.2 | $25.9 | +11% |
| 2022 | $25.9 | $7.52 | -71% |
| 2023 | $7.52 | $19.5 | +160% |
| 2024 | $19.5 | $15.2 | -22% |
| 2025 | $15.2 | $40.6 | +167% |
| 2026 YTD | $40.6 | $49.9 | +23% |
ACMR has the edge over MSFT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
MSFT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $159.0 | $222.8 | +40% |
| 2021 | $222.8 | $334.7 | +50% |
| 2022 | $334.7 | $238.7 | -29% |
| 2023 | $238.7 | $376.0 | +58% |
| 2024 | $376.0 | $430.5 | +14% |
| 2025 | $430.5 | $487.7 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $487.7 | $523.0 | +7.2% |
MSFT has finished higher in five of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's up 7.2% so far in 2026.