GEN
Gen Digital Inc.
GEN offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over GEN overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and stronger valuation.
GEN Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Stable |
GEN's profitability and cash flow are currently strong, and its revenue and balance sheet are stable.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
GEN PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.3x | $16.34 | -45% |
| Forward | 9.5x | $29.69 | — |
| Current | 15x | $29.69 | — |
| Fair | 18x | $35.76 | +20% |
| Expensive | 28x | $54.70 | +84% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
GEN's PE is in its cheap range at 15x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 9.5x 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 GEN in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
GEN Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
GEN 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.
GEN Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $3.12 | +58% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.98 | +118% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.71 | +78% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.57 | +52% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.96 | -6.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.91 | -8.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.96 | 0% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.03 | +7.3% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.03 | -53% |
GEN's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $1.98 over the past year, against $6.20 in mid-2020.
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 GEN on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
GEN Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.4B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.3B | +6.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.3B | +27% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.2B | +26% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +25% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.3B | +30% |
| Q1 2025 | $1B | +4.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $986M | +3.7% |
GEN has the edge over MSFT on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 37% | +1.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 33% | -2.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 63% | +21 points |
| Q4 2025 | 35% | -3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 36% | -5.4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 35% | -7.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 41% | -0.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 38% | +2.7 points |
GEN's operating margin was 37% last quarter, up 1.1 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's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $92.3B last quarter, up 19% from the same quarter a year ago.
| 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 GEN on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
GEN Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $323M | +202% |
| Q2 2026 | $430M | +6.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $476M | +1.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $535M | +68% |
| Q3 2025 | $107M | -31% |
| Q2 2025 | $405M | +55% |
| Q1 2025 | $470M | -66% |
| Q4 2024 | $318M | +3.6% |
GEN 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.
GEN Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -- |
| 1 year | -3.4% | -21M shares |
| 3 years | -6.4% | -41M shares |
| 5 years | +2% | +12M shares |
| Available history | -6.8% | -44M shares |
GEN has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $171M |
| Q2 2026 | $100M |
| Q1 2026 | $200M |
| Q4 2025 | $300M |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $134M |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
GEN spent $771M buying back its own shares over the past year, about six times what it spent 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.
GEN Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q2 2026 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 3.0x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 3.7x | Elevated |
| Q3 2025 | 3.9x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 4.1x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 3.6x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.8x | Elevated |
GEN's net debt is about 2.9 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 3.9 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 GEN on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
GEN Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 59.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 81.3 | Overbought |
GEN's weekly RSI is 59 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 81 (overbought).
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).
GEN PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | GEN | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 28x | 46% below |
| PE % | 32 | 35 | 3 pts below |
GEN 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.
GEN Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $25.6 | 16% above |
| 20 week MA | $27.2 | 9% above |
| 50 week MA | $25.0 | 19% above |
| 100 week MA | $26.4 | 12% above |
| 200 week MA | $24.2 | 23% above |
GEN has the edge over MSFT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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's trend is up, with a small recent dip: it's below only its 8-week average, and 27% above its 200-week average.
GEN Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $25.6 | $21.0 | -18% |
| 2021 | $21.0 | $25.9 | +23% |
| 2022 | $25.9 | $21.3 | -18% |
| 2023 | $21.3 | $22.8 | +7.1% |
| 2024 | $22.8 | $27.7 | +21% |
| 2025 | $27.7 | $27.8 | +0.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.8 | $29.7 | +6.9% |
GEN has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's up 6.9% 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 GEN on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.