FFIV
F5, Inc.
FFIV's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over FFIV overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
FFIV Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
FFIV's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
FFIV PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 17x | $318 | — |
| Cheap | 23x | $287 | -9.7% |
| Current | 25x | $318 | — |
| Fair | 27x | $343 | +7.9% |
| Expensive | 37x | $467 | +47% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
FFIV's PE is in its cheap range at 25x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 17x 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 FFIV in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
FFIV Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
FFIV 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.
FFIV Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $18.21 | +45% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.55 | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $12.18 | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $12.08 | +20% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.80 | +24% |
| Q2 2025 | $11.34 | +22% |
| Q1 2025 | $10.53 | +26% |
| Q4 2024 | $10.05 | +31% |
| Q3 2024 | $9.55 | +46% |
FFIV has the edge over MSFT on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
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.
FFIV Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $865.1M | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $811.7M | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $822.5M | +7.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $810.1M | +8.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $780.4M | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $731.1M | +7.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $766.5M | +11% |
| Q3 2024 | $746.7M | +5.6% |
FFIV's revenue has grown year over year for eight quarters in a row: $865M last quarter, up 11% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 25% | -0.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 26% | -0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 25% | -0.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 25% | +1.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 22% | +1.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 27% | +3 points |
| Q3 2024 | 26% | +1.3 points |
FFIV's operating margin was 25% last quarter, down 0.5 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 FFIV 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 FFIV on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
FFIV Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $280.6M | +2.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $347.6M | +41% |
| Q4 2025 | $149.5M | -23% |
| Q3 2025 | $191.9M | -20% |
| Q2 2025 | $273.7M | +79% |
| Q1 2025 | $246.1M | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $194.7M | +25% |
| Q3 2024 | $240.4M | +38% |
FFIV 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.
FFIV Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +252K shares |
| 1 year | -1.6% | -942K shares |
| 3 years | -4.6% | -2.8M shares |
| 5 years | -6.2% | -3.8M shares |
| Available history | -4.8% | -2.9M shares |
FFIV has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $100M |
| Q3 2025 | $125M |
| Q2 2025 | $125M |
| Q3 2024 | $100.5M |
| Q2 2024 | $150M |
| Q1 2024 | $100M |
| Q4 2023 | $150M |
| Q3 2023 | $60M |
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.
FFIV Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.7x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2024 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
FFIV 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).
FFIV Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 38.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 3.4 | Oversold |
FFIV's weekly RSI is 38 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 3 (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).
FFIV PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | FFIV | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 25x | 28x | 9% below |
| PE % | 30 | 35 | 5 pts below |
FFIV 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.
FFIV Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $405.2 | 22% below |
| 20 week MA | $405.0 | 22% below |
| 50 week MA | $345.9 | 8.2% below |
| 100 week MA | $315.3 | 0.7% above |
| 200 week MA | $244.7 | 30% above |
FFIV has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 30% 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 FFIV on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
FFIV Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $139.2 | $175.6 | +26% |
| 2021 | $175.6 | $234.8 | +34% |
| 2022 | $234.8 | $141.0 | -40% |
| 2023 | $141.0 | $179.0 | +27% |
| 2024 | $179.0 | $255.6 | +43% |
| 2025 | $255.6 | $263.1 | +2.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $263.1 | $317.6 | +21% |
FFIV 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.