CLFD
Clearfield, Inc.
CLFD's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over CLFD overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and lower modeled downside.
CLFD Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Under pressure | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
CLFD's balance sheet is currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable, but its revenue and profitability are under pressure.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
CLFD PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 13x | N/A | N/A |
| Forward | 35x | $31.27 | — |
| Fair | 37x | N/A | N/A |
| Expensive | 46x | N/A | N/A |
| Current | 223x | $31.27 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CLFD's PE is 223x, 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's PE is in its cheap range at 27x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 25x next year's earnings.
CLFD Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
CLFD 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.
CLFD Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.89 | — |
| Q2 2026 | -$0.51 | -5200% |
| Q1 2026 | -$0.62 | -$0.48 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.49 | +$0.14 |
| Q3 2025 | -$0.58 | +$0.27 |
| Q2 2025 | $0.01 | +$0.63 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.14 | +$0.11 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.63 | -177% |
| Q3 2024 | -$0.85 | -139% |
CLFD has swung to a loss: it lost $0.51 per share over the past year, after a profit 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 has the edge over CLFD on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
CLFD Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $43.9M | -12% |
| Q1 2026 | $34.4M | -27% |
| Q4 2025 | $34.3M | -3.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.6M | -62% |
| Q2 2025 | $49.9M | +2.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $47.2M | +28% |
| Q4 2024 | $35.5M | +3.6% |
| Q3 2024 | $46.8M | -5.9% |
CLFD's revenue has slid since its 2022 peak: $44M last quarter, down 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 5.9% | +2.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | -6% | -6.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | -5.3% | +5.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 25% | +31 points |
| Q2 2025 | 3% | +7.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 0.6% | +27 points |
| Q4 2024 | -11% | +13 points |
| Q3 2024 | -6.4% | -9.9 points |
CLFD's operating margin was 5.9% last quarter, up 2.9 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 has the edge over CLFD 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 CLFD on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CLFD Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $8.9M | +19% |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.1M | -420% |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4M | -148% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.9M | -9% |
| Q2 2025 | $7.5M | +184% |
| Q1 2025 | $654K | +$5.9M |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1M | -7.2% |
| Q3 2024 | $9.8M | +82% |
CLFD 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.
CLFD Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -78.4K shares |
| 1 year | -1.7% | -242K shares |
| 3 years | -11% | -1.7M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -220K shares |
| Available history | +1% | +141K shares |
CLFD has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $897,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $7.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3M |
| Q3 2025 | $12,000 |
| Q2 2025 | $5.7M |
| Q1 2025 | $4.7M |
| Q4 2024 | $6.3M |
| Q3 2024 | — |
CLFD spent $14M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 19% from the year before.
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.
CLFD Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -2.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -2.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -13.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2023 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2023 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2023 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
CLFD 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).
CLFD Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 49.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 55.1 | Neutral |
CLFD's weekly RSI is 50 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 55 (neutral).
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).
CLFD PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | CLFD | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 223x | 28x | 702% above |
| PE % | 94 | 35 | 59 pts above |
CLFD is trading at 223x earnings, a 702% 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 CLFD on valuation relative to its sector.
CLFD Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $31.0 | 1% above |
| 20 week MA | $30.5 | 2.6% above |
| 50 week MA | $31.9 | 2% below |
| 100 week MA | $33.1 | 5.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $35.4 | 12% below |
CLFD has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8- and 20-week averages, but 12% below 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 CLFD on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CLFD Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $13.9 | $24.8 | +78% |
| 2021 | $24.8 | $78.5 | +217% |
| 2022 | $78.5 | $95.5 | +22% |
| 2023 | $95.5 | $29.1 | -70% |
| 2024 | $29.1 | $31.1 | +7% |
| 2025 | $31.1 | $30.2 | -3.1% |
| 2026 YTD | $30.2 | $31.3 | +3.6% |
CLFD's yearly returns have swung widely, from +217% in 2021 to −70% in 2023. It's up 3.6% so far in 2026.
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 the edge over CLFD on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.