GDS
GDS Holdings Limited
GDS's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over GDS overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger valuation.
GDS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Weak | |
| Weak |
GDS's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable, but its cash flow and balance sheet are weak.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
GDS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 9.8x | $20.05 | — |
| Cheap | 11x | $22.42 | +12% |
| Fair | 21x | $43.89 | +119% |
| Expensive | 52x | $106 | +430% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
GDS has the edge over MSFT in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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.
GDS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Returning to profit | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
GDS 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.
GDS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | -$3.24 | -$2.14 |
| Q2 2024 | -$3.43 | -$2.40 |
| Q1 2024 | -$3.43 | -$2.27 |
| Q4 2023 | -$3.54 | -$2.30 |
| Q3 2023 | -$1.10 | +$0.27 |
| Q2 2023 | -$1.03 | +$0.33 |
| Q1 2023 | -$1.16 | +$0.14 |
| Q4 2022 | -$1.24 | -$0.16 |
MSFT has the stronger earnings trend. Trailing diluted EPS is down 40% for GDS 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.
GDS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $462.1M | +6.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $505.3M | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $438.5M | +54% |
| Q3 2025 | $433.3M | +10% |
| Q2 2025 | $435.2M | +2.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $408.7M | +3.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $285.5M | -26% |
| Q3 2024 | $393.1M | +4% |
GDS's revenue has grown year over year for six quarters in a row: $462M last quarter, up 6.2% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 14% | -0.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 27% | +14 points |
| Q4 2025 | 13% | -3.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 13% | +0.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 14% | +3.1 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | +5.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 17% | +132 points |
| Q3 2024 | 12% | +8.4 points |
GDS's operating margin was 14% last quarter, about level with 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 GDS 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 GDS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
GDS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $24.3M | +$78.4M |
| Q1 2026 | -$48.4M | -$14M |
| Q4 2025 | -$2M | -100% |
| Q3 2025 | -$102.8M | -$80.8M |
| Q2 2025 | -$54.1M | +$172M |
| Q1 2025 | -$34.4M | +$125.9M |
| Q4 2024 | $625.5M | +$680.8M |
| Q3 2024 | -$22M | +$123.3M |
GDS has burned cash in almost every quarter: −$129M over the past year, against $515M 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 GDS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
GDS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +2.2% | +5.5M shares |
| 1 year | +15% | +34.8M shares |
| 3 years | +41% | +76.1M shares |
| 5 years | +44% | +78.8M shares |
GDS has 259M diluted shares, up 15% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
GDS hasn't bought back shares in 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 the edge over GDS 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.
GDS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 5.8x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 5.7x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 5.5x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 4.6x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 5.9x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 6.3x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 8.0x | High |
| Q3 2024 | 25.7x | High |
GDS's net debt is about 5.8 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 5.9 years a year ago.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT has the edge over GDS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
GDS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 30.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 7.0 | Oversold |
GDS's weekly RSI is 31 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 7 (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).
GDS PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | GDS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 9.8x | 28x | 65% below |
| PE % | 0 | 35 | 35 pts below |
GDS 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.
GDS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $25.1 | 20% below |
| 20 week MA | $29.3 | 32% below |
| 50 week MA | $35.6 | 44% below |
| 100 week MA | $33.1 | 39% below |
| 200 week MA | $23.0 | 13% below |
GDS is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 13% 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 GDS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
GDS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $51.7 | $91.3 | +77% |
| 2021 | $91.3 | $47.1 | -48% |
| 2022 | $47.1 | $19.4 | -59% |
| 2023 | $19.4 | $9.12 | -53% |
| 2024 | $9.12 | $22.3 | +144% |
| 2025 | $22.3 | $35.4 | +59% |
| 2026 YTD | $35.4 | $20.1 | -43% |
GDS's yearly returns have swung widely, from +144% in 2024 to −59% in 2022. It's down 43% 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 GDS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.