MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over NOVT overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
NOVT
Novanta Inc.
NOVT trails on the overall score without a compensating advantage in the available component scores.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
NOVT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Weak |
NOVT's revenue and cash flow are currently healthy, and its profitability is stable, but its balance sheet is weak.
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 NOVT in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
NOVT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 72x | $94.82 | -19% |
| Fair | 86x | $113 | -3.6% |
| Current | 89x | $117 | — |
| Expensive | 106x | $140 | +19% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NOVT's PE is in its fair range at 89x.
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.
NOVT Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for NOVT to show an outlook.
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 NOVT on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NOVT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.32 | -9.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.57 | -7.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.39 | -29% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.47 | -17% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.46 | -12% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.69 | -1.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.95 | +1.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.77 | -12% |
NOVT's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $1.32 over the past year, against $2.13 in mid-2023.
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 NOVT 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 NOVT on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
NOVT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $305M | +23% |
| Q2 2026 | $265.8M | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $257.7M | +10% |
| Q4 2025 | $258.3M | +8.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $247.8M | +1.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $241M | +2.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $233.4M | +1.1% |
| Q4 2024 | $238.1M | +13% |
NOVT's revenue has grown year over year for 11 quarters in a row: $305M last quarter, up 23% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.6% | -4.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 6.8% | +0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 11% | -3.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 9.6% | -1.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 8.8% | -4.5 points |
| Q2 2025 | 6.2% | -4.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 14% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 11% | +1 points |
NOVT's operating margin was 4.6% last quarter, down 4.3 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
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.
NOVT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $30.4M | +621% |
| Q2 2026 | $57.5M | +392% |
| Q1 2026 | $47.5M | +73% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.1M | -91% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.2M | -78% |
| Q2 2025 | $11.7M | -68% |
| Q1 2025 | $27.4M | +3.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $59.3M | +81% |
NOVT 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 the edge over NOVT 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.
NOVT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +3.8% | +1.5M shares |
| 1 year | +19% | +6.7M shares |
| 3 years | +19% | +6.7M shares |
| 5 years | +19% | +6.9M shares |
| Available history | +20% | +7.2M shares |
NOVT has 43M diluted shares, up 19% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | — |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | $18.6M |
| Q4 2025 | $19.1M |
| Q3 2025 | $14.1M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | $6.2M |
| Q4 2022 | — |
NOVT spent $38M buying back its own shares over the past year.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT has the edge over NOVT on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
NOVT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 4.3x | High |
| Q2 2026 | -3.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | 2.3x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 1.6x | Healthy |
| Q4 2024 | 1.8x | Healthy |
NOVT's net debt is about 4.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 2.3 years a year ago.
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).
NOVT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 39.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.1 | Oversold |
NOVT's weekly RSI is 39 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 18 (oversold).
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT has the edge over NOVT on valuation relative to its sector.
NOVT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | NOVT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 89x | 28x | 219% above |
| PE % | 55 | 35 | 20 pts above |
NOVT is trading at 89x earnings, a 219% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
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 NOVT on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
NOVT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $137.8 | 15% below |
| 20 week MA | $145.1 | 19% below |
| 50 week MA | $138.9 | 15% below |
| 100 week MA | $132.3 | 11% below |
| 200 week MA | $147.5 | 20% below |
NOVT is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 20% 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 NOVT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
NOVT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $89.8 | $120.8 | +34% |
| 2021 | $120.8 | $173.1 | +43% |
| 2022 | $173.1 | $137.9 | -20% |
| 2023 | $137.9 | $168.4 | +22% |
| 2024 | $168.4 | $154.7 | -8.1% |
| 2025 | $154.7 | $122.7 | -21% |
| 2026 YTD | $122.7 | $117.4 | -4.3% |
NOVT has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's down 4.3% so far in 2026.