MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over NICE overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
NICE
NICE Ltd.
NICE offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
NICE Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
NICE's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
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 NICE in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
NICE PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 14x | $94.12 | — |
| Cheap | 17x | $116 | +23% |
| Fair | 49x | $341 | +263% |
| Expensive | 76x | $522 | +454% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NICE's PE is in its cheap range at 14x.
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.
NICE Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for NICE, with profitability holding steady.
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.
NICE Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $6.90 | -18% |
| Q1 2026 | $8.43 | +18% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.67 | +43% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.80 | +36% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.37 | +40% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.17 | +29% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.76 | +33% |
| Q3 2024 | $6.46 | +31% |
NICE earned $6.90 per share over the past year, down 18% from the year before.
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 NICE 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 NICE on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NICE Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $795.7M | +9.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $766.5M | +9.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $786.5M | +9% |
| Q3 2025 | $732M | +6.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $726.7M | +9.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $700.2M | +6.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $721.6M | +16% |
| Q3 2024 | $690M | +15% |
NICE's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $796M last quarter, up 9.5% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 14% | -8.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 16% | -4.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 22% | +1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 22% | +1.5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 22% | +2.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 21% | +2.7 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +1.7 points |
| Q3 2024 | 20% | +1.6 points |
NICE's operating margin was 14% last quarter, down 8.3 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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.
NICE Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $117.3M | +204% |
| Q1 2026 | $169.4M | -36% |
| Q4 2025 | $156M | -31% |
| Q3 2025 | $163.6M | +24% |
| Q2 2025 | $38.6M | -74% |
| Q1 2025 | $264.6M | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $225.1M | +40% |
| Q3 2024 | $131.7M | +28% |
NICE has the edge over MSFT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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.
NICE Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -2% | -1.2M shares |
| 1 year | -6% | -3.8M shares |
| 3 years | -11% | -7M shares |
| 5 years | -11% | -7.1M shares |
| Available history | -8.7% | -5.7M shares |
NICE has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $60.8M |
| Q1 2026 | $252.6M |
| Q4 2025 | $165.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $40.6M |
| Q2 2025 | $30.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $252.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $95.2M |
| Q3 2024 | $86.4M |
NICE spent $519M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 12% from the year before.
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).
NICE Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q3 2024 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
NICE has the edge over MSFT on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
NICE Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 42.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 24.3 | Neutral |
NICE's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 24 (neutral).
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.
NICE PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | NICE | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 14x | 28x | 51% below |
| PE % | 13 | 35 | 22 pts below |
NICE has the edge over MSFT on valuation relative to its sector.
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 NICE on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
NICE Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $110.2 | 15% below |
| 20 week MA | $104.5 | 9.9% below |
| 50 week MA | $105.3 | 11% below |
| 100 week MA | $128.5 | 27% below |
| 200 week MA | $162.8 | 42% below |
NICE is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 42% below its 200-week average.
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 NICE on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
NICE Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $156.3 | $279.8 | +79% |
| 2021 | $279.8 | $306.4 | +9.5% |
| 2022 | $306.4 | $194.7 | -36% |
| 2023 | $194.7 | $199.5 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $199.5 | $173.5 | -13% |
| 2025 | $173.5 | $112.7 | -35% |
| 2026 YTD | $112.7 | $94.1 | -16% |
NICE has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's down 16% so far in 2026.