CTSH
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation
CTSH offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over CTSH overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
CTSH Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Strong |
CTSH's profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue and cash flow are stable.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
CTSH PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 10x | $63.75 | — |
| Current | 12x | $63.75 | — |
| Cheap | 14x | $75.47 | +18% |
| Fair | 17x | $92.95 | +46% |
| Expensive | 23x | $128 | +100% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CTSH's PE is in its cheap range at 12x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 10x next year's earnings.
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 CTSH in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
CTSH Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect CTSH's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
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.
CTSH Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $6.16 | +12% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.49 | +27% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.66 | -5.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.61 | -2.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.56 | +1.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.31 | -4.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.92 | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.75 | +14% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.51 | +7.1% |
CTSH earned $5.49 per share over the past year, up 27% 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 has the edge over CTSH on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
CTSH Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $5.7B | +4.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.5B | +4.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.4B | +5.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3B | +4.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.4B | +7.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.2B | +8.1% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.1B | +7.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1B | +6.8% |
CTSH's revenue has grown year over year for nine quarters in a row: $5.7B last quarter, up 4.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | -0.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 16% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 16% | -1.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 16% | +1.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 16% | +1.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 16% | +1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 17% | +2.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 15% | -0.4 points |
CTSH's operating margin was 15% last quarter, down 0.6 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 CTSH on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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 CTSH on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
CTSH Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $925M | -20% |
| Q2 2026 | $459M | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $198M | -39% |
| Q4 2025 | $781M | -6.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +47% |
| Q2 2025 | $331M | +81% |
| Q1 2025 | $323M | +1919% |
| Q4 2024 | $837M | +27% |
CTSH 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.
CTSH Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -3.4% | -16M shares |
| 1 year | -7.6% | -37M shares |
| 3 years | -11% | -55M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -76M shares |
| Available history | -20% | -110M shares |
CTSH has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $270M |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q1 2026 | $444M |
| Q4 2025 | $338M |
| Q3 2025 | $463M |
| Q2 2025 | $368M |
| Q1 2025 | $209M |
| Q4 2024 | $154M |
CTSH spent $2.2B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 86% 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.
CTSH Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
CTSH 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).
CTSH Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 57.3 | Neutral |
CTSH's weekly RSI is 55 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 57 (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).
CTSH PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | CTSH | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 28x | 58% below |
| PE % | 3 | 35 | 32 pts below |
CTSH has the edge over MSFT on valuation relative to its sector.
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT is trading at 27x earnings, in line with the Technology sector's median of 28x.
CTSH Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $63.2 | 1% above |
| 20 week MA | $58.0 | 9.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $62.4 | 2.1% above |
| 100 week MA | $69.0 | 7.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $69.5 | 8.3% below |
CTSH has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 8.3% 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 CTSH on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
CTSH Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $62.2 | $81.1 | +30% |
| 2021 | $81.1 | $86.3 | +6.4% |
| 2022 | $86.3 | $56.0 | -35% |
| 2023 | $56.0 | $75.5 | +35% |
| 2024 | $75.5 | $79.2 | +4.9% |
| 2025 | $79.2 | $85.6 | +8% |
| 2026 YTD | $85.6 | $63.8 | -25% |
CTSH has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's down 25% 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 CTSH on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.