MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has a slight edge over VIAV overall, supported by stronger valuation and lower modeled downside.
VIAV
Viavi Solutions Inc.
VIAV offers stronger fundamentals, 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.
VIAV Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
VIAV'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 VIAV in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
VIAV PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 54x | $14.03 | -57% |
| Fair | 93x | $24.16 | -26% |
| Current | 125x | $32.54 | — |
| Expensive | 377x | $98.00 | +201% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VIAV's PE is in its fair range at 125x.
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.
VIAV Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for VIAV 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 VIAV on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
VIAV Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $0.26 | +333% |
| Q2 2026 | -$0.13 | -187% |
| Q1 2026 | -$0.25 | -1350% |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.19 | -$0.01 |
| Q3 2025 | $0.06 | +$0.23 |
| Q2 2025 | $0.15 | +$0.27 |
| Q1 2025 | $0.02 | +$0.04 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.18 | -1000% |
VIAV's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $0.26 over the past year, against $0.43 in late 2022.
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 VIAV on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
VIAV Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $469.3M | +57% |
| Q2 2026 | $443.1M | +53% |
| Q1 2026 | $406.8M | +43% |
| Q4 2025 | $369.3M | +36% |
| Q3 2025 | $299.1M | +26% |
| Q2 2025 | $290.5M | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $284.8M | +16% |
| Q4 2024 | $270.8M | +6.4% |
VIAV has the edge over MSFT on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 17% | +15 points |
| Q2 2026 | 14% | +8.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 6.1% | +3.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 3.1% | -5.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 2.5% | -2.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 5.3% | +7.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | 3% | +7.8 points |
| Q4 2024 | 8.2% | -0.6 points |
VIAV's operating margin was 17% last quarter, up 15 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top 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.
VIAV Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $92.7M | +312% |
| Q2 2026 | $55.6M | +204% |
| Q1 2026 | -$32.2M | -3320% |
| Q4 2025 | $36.9M | +1.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $22.5M | +263% |
| Q2 2025 | $18.3M | -18% |
| Q1 2025 | $1M | -94% |
| Q4 2024 | $36.5M | +150% |
VIAV 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 VIAV 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.
VIAV Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +16% | +36.7M shares |
| 1 year | +19% | +43.3M shares |
| 3 years | +19% | +42M shares |
| 5 years | +15% | +35.1M shares |
| Available history | +12% | +27.9M shares |
VIAV has 266M diluted shares, up 19% from a year ago, despite $150M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $150M |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | $30M |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | — |
| Q4 2024 | — |
VIAV spent $150M buying back its own shares over the past year, about five times what it spent 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).
VIAV Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -2.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q4 2025 | 5.0x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 1.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 2.5x | Moderate |
VIAV 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).
VIAV Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 45.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 19.6 | Oversold |
VIAV's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 20 (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 VIAV on valuation relative to its sector.
VIAV PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | VIAV | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 125x | 28x | 349% above |
| PE % | 58 | 35 | 23 pts above |
VIAV is trading at 125x earnings, a 349% 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 VIAV on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
VIAV Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $36.0 | 9.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $37.7 | 14% below |
| 50 week MA | $35.6 | 8.6% below |
| 100 week MA | $23.5 | 38% above |
| 200 week MA | $16.4 | 98% above |
VIAV has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 98% 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.
VIAV Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $15.1 | $14.7 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | $14.7 | $17.1 | +16% |
| 2022 | $17.1 | $10.3 | -40% |
| 2023 | $10.3 | $10.1 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | $10.1 | $10.2 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | $10.2 | $18.2 | +79% |
| 2026 YTD | $18.2 | $32.5 | +79% |
VIAV has the edge over MSFT on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.