ASML
ASML Holding N.V.
ASML offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over ASML overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
ASML Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Unavailable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
ASML's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently strong. There isn't enough data to rate its revenue.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
ASML PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 35x | $1,375 | -8.2% |
| Current | 39x | $1,497 | — |
| Fair | 43x | $1,684 | +13% |
| Expensive | 56x | $2,177 | +45% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ASML's PE is 39x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
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 ASML in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
ASML Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
ASML 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.
ASML Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $38.88 | +44% |
| Q2 2026 | $30.61 | +15% |
| Q3 2025 | $26.91 | +38% |
| Q2 2025 | $26.68 | +40% |
| Q1 2025 | $24.60 | +22% |
| Q4 2024 | $21.42 | -2.9% |
| Q3 2024 | $19.46 | -8.4% |
| Q2 2024 | $19.11 | -7.5% |
ASML has the stronger earnings trend. Trailing diluted EPS is up 58% for ASML versus MSFT up 36%.
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.
ASML Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $13B | +55% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.4B | +21% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.7B | +13% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.8B | +4.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.3B | +0.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.3B | +0.7% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.5B | +23% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.6B | +46% |
ASML's revenue has grown year over year for four quarters in a row: $13B last quarter, up 55% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 44% | +12 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | +4.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 36% | +1.4 points |
| Q4 2025 | 35% | -0.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | -3.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +0.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 35% | +5.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 35% | +9.1 points |
ASML's operating margin was 44% last quarter, up 12 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2020.
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 has the edge over ASML on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| 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 ASML on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ASML Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $12.6B | +4571% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.6B | +292% |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.9B | -$2.4B |
| Q4 2025 | $12.2B | +24% |
| Q3 2025 | $270.7M | -54% |
| Q3 2025 | $270.7M | -54% |
| Q2 2025 | $397.4M | -10% |
| Q1 2025 | -$527.8M | +$223M |
ASML has the edge over MSFT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $60B over the past year, down 23% from the year before.
ASML Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -1.4M shares |
| 1 year | -1.1% | -4.1M shares |
| 3 years | -2.6% | -10.3M shares |
| 5 years | -5.3% | -21.5M shares |
| Available history | -8.6% | -36.2M shares |
ASML has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.5B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q1 2026 | $1.1B |
| Q4 2025 | $1.9B |
| Q3 2025 | $191.3M |
| Q3 2025 | $191.3M |
| Q2 2025 | $1.6B |
| Q1 2025 | $2.9B |
ASML spent $8.7B buying back its own shares over the past year.
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 7.4B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| 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.
ASML Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2024 | -0.0x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2024 | -0.0x | Net Cash |
ASML 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).
ASML Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 16.3 | Oversold |
ASML's weekly RSI is 44 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 16 (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).
ASML PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | ASML | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 39x | 28x | 38% above |
| PE % | 30 | 35 | 5 pts below |
ASML is trading at 39x earnings, a 38% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x, though its earnings don't support one.
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 ASML on valuation relative to its sector.
ASML Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $1,636.6 | 8.5% below |
| 20 week MA | $1,696.6 | 12% below |
| 50 week MA | $1,531.1 | 2.2% below |
| 100 week MA | $1,160.1 | 29% above |
| 200 week MA | $964.4 | 55% above |
ASML has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 55% 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 ASML on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ASML Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $296.7 | $483.1 | +63% |
| 2021 | $483.1 | $801.4 | +66% |
| 2022 | $801.4 | $551.4 | -31% |
| 2023 | $551.4 | $756.9 | +37% |
| 2024 | $756.9 | $713.6 | -5.7% |
| 2025 | $713.6 | $1,072.8 | +50% |
| 2026 YTD | $1,072.8 | $1,497.1 | +40% |
ASML 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.