MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over PLXS overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
PLXS
Plexus Corp.
PLXS's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
PLXS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Stable | |
| Under pressure | |
| Strong |
PLXS's revenue and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its profitability is stable, but its cash flow is under pressure.
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 PLXS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
PLXS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 18x | $122 | -42% |
| Forward | 20x | $211 | — |
| Fair | 21x | $144 | -32% |
| Current | 28x | $211 | — |
| Expensive | 31x | $211 | -0.1% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PLXS's PE is 28x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
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.
PLXS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for PLXS, 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.
PLXS Earnings Per Share
PLXS and MSFT do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
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 PLXS 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 PLXS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
PLXS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $1.3B | +28% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.2B | +19% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.1B | +9.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $4B | +273% |
| Q2 2025 | $1B | +2.8% |
| Q1 2025 | $980.2M | -1.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $976.1M | -3.2% |
| Q3 2024 | $1.1B | +2.6% |
PLXS's revenue has grown year over year for five quarters in a row: $1.3B last quarter, up 28% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 4.7% | -0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 5.3% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 5.1% | +0.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 1.3% | -3.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.3% | +1.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 5% | +2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 4.8% | +0.3 points |
| Q3 2024 | 5% | -0.1 points |
PLXS's operating margin was 4.7% last quarter, down 0.6 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.
PLXS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -$754K | -106% |
| Q1 2026 | $16M | -3% |
| Q4 2025 | -$50.6M | -287% |
| Q3 2025 | $97.2M | -50% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.2M | -88% |
| Q1 2025 | $16.5M | -75% |
| Q4 2024 | $27.1M | +$58.8M |
| Q3 2024 | $193.8M | +196% |
PLXS usually generates cash, though not every quarter: the latest was −$754,000, but it generated $62M over 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 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.
PLXS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -16K shares |
| 1 year | -0.9% | -238K shares |
| 3 years | -2.5% | -698K shares |
| 5 years | -6.1% | -1.8M shares |
| Available history | -12% | -3.8M shares |
PLXS has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $20.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $21M |
| Q4 2025 | $22.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $21.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $18.4M |
| Q1 2025 | $12.5M |
| Q4 2024 | $12.8M |
| Q3 2024 | $19.5M |
PLXS spent $86M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 35% 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).
PLXS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2024 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
PLXS 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).
PLXS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 41.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 11.9 | Oversold |
PLXS's weekly RSI is 42 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 12 (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 PLXS on valuation relative to its sector.
PLXS PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | PLXS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 28x | 28x | 1.9% above |
| PE % | 76 | 35 | 41 pts above |
PLXS is trading at 28x earnings, in line with the Technology sector's median of 28x, though its earnings don't support one.
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 PLXS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
PLXS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $232.1 | 9.2% below |
| 20 week MA | $246.1 | 14% below |
| 50 week MA | $227.5 | 7.3% below |
| 100 week MA | $182.2 | 16% above |
| 200 week MA | $144.6 | 46% above |
PLXS has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 46% above 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 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.
PLXS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $76.9 | $77.9 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | $77.9 | $95.2 | +22% |
| 2022 | $95.2 | $104.6 | +9.8% |
| 2023 | $104.6 | $108.1 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $108.1 | $157.8 | +46% |
| 2025 | $157.8 | $154.2 | -2.3% |
| 2026 YTD | $154.2 | $210.8 | +37% |
PLXS has the edge over MSFT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.