Core Insights - Concerns about returns in the AI sector are resurfacing, with Big Tech earnings indicating that companies must show results quickly after significant investments in AI or face market penalties [1] Group 1: Meta Platforms - Meta Platforms (META) experienced a stock increase of 10.4% on January 29, 2026, with a revenue growth of 24% in the December quarter, driven by AI-enhanced online advertising [2] - The company provided a first-quarter revenue forecast of $53.5 billion to $56.5 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $51.41 billion [3] - Meta's capital expenditures related to AI are projected to be between $115 billion and $135 billion for 2026, exceeding analyst expectations of $110.7 billion and nearly doubling the 2025 figure of $72.2 billion [4] Group 2: Microsoft - Microsoft (MSFT) saw a stock decline of about 10% on January 29, 2026, despite reporting better-than-expected earnings and sales, as investors were concerned about slowing momentum and rising risks [6] - Azure cloud revenue grew by 39% in the fiscal second quarter, slightly above forecasts, but below the 40% growth seen in the previous quarter [6] - A significant concern for Microsoft is that OpenAI accounts for 45% of its remaining performance obligations, raising fears about future revenue stability [8] Group 3: Tesla - Tesla's stock fell by 3.2% on January 29, 2026, despite beating quarterly profit and revenue expectations, as investors reacted to the scale of future spending [9] - The company announced plans to more than double its capital expenditures to over $20 billion, focusing on AI, humanoid robots, and fully autonomous vehicles [9] Group 4: Competitive Landscape - The AI race is intensifying, with OpenAI issuing an internal "code red" following strong early reviews of Google's Gemini 3, while Anthropic's Claude Code has reached an annualized revenue run rate exceeding $1 billion [12] - AI ETFs such as AIQ, BOTZ, and ARKQ are considered long-term investment opportunities despite short-term volatility [11] Group 5: ETFs Performance - ETFs heavily invested in Meta, like Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF (FCOM) and Vanguard Communication Services ETF (VOX), gained approximately 2.8% each [13] - Conversely, ETFs focused on Microsoft, such as Roundhill MSFT WeeklyPay ETF (MSFW) and iShares U.S. Technology ETF (IYW), experienced declines of 12.2% and 1.4%, respectively [13]

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft (MSFT) experienced a significant drop of approximately 10% in its stock price following the announcement of its second-quarter earnings, despite exceeding expectations in earnings per share and revenue. The decline was attributed to slowing growth in Azure, a 66% increase in capital expenditures to $37.5 billion, and 45% of its $625 billion backlog being related to OpenAI [1][2]. Group 1 - Microsoft reported second-quarter earnings per share and revenue that surpassed expectations [1][2] - The stock price fell about 10% due to concerns over Azure's growth slowdown [1][2] - Capital expenditures surged by 66% to $37.5 billion [1][2] - 45% of the $625 billion commercial backlog is associated with OpenAI [1][2]

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft has experienced a significant stock price drop of 12% shortly after trading began on January 29, marking one of the worst single-day declines in its history, indicating a reset in investor expectations [1] Financial Performance - Microsoft reported earnings on January 28, with revenue of $81.3 billion, exceeding expectations by $1.1 billion, and earnings per share (EPS) of $4.14, which was $0.22 above expectations [2] - The company spent $37.5 billion on capital expenditures in the latest quarter, a 66% increase from the previous year, primarily for artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centers [3] Growth Concerns - Azure's revenue grew by 39% year over year, but growth is expected to slow due to physical capacity limitations in meeting demand [4] - Investors are becoming impatient regarding the timeline for returns on Microsoft's significant investments, raising concerns about the impact on profit margins [3]

Core Insights - Microsoft shares fell 10% despite exceeding analysts' expectations for Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings and revenues, primarily due to higher-than-expected capital expenditures and slowing cloud growth expectations [1][10] Financial Performance - In Q2, Microsoft's adjusted earnings per share (EPS) surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.7%, and revenues exceeded the consensus by 1.3%, with both metrics showing double-digit year-over-year growth [5] - Revenue from Azure and other cloud services grew by 39%, while Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services revenues increased by 16%, and Microsoft 365 Consumer products and services revenue rose by 27% [6] - LinkedIn revenues increased by 11% due to growth in Marketing Solutions [6] Future Outlook - Microsoft anticipates revenues between $80.65 billion and $81.75 billion for Q3, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $80.47 billion, driven by strong growth in commercial businesses [7] - The company expects a decline in Microsoft Cloud gross margin percentage to approximately 65% year-over-year due to ongoing investments in AI, and Xbox content and services revenues are projected to decline in the mid-single digits in Q3 [8] Analyst Reactions - JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy maintained an Overweight rating but reduced the price target from $575 to $550, citing concerns over CPU supply constraints affecting Azure growth [9] - Goldman Sachs analyst Gabriela Borges maintained a Buy rating and lowered the price target from $655 to $600 [11] Investment Opportunities - Investors optimistic about Microsoft's cloud growth may consider ETFs with significant exposure to Microsoft, such as: - iShares Dow Jones US Technology ETF (IYW), which has $21.06 billion in net assets and a 12.32% allocation to Microsoft, with a 25.9% increase over the past year [12][13] - iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF (TOPT), with $486.3 million in net assets and an 11.23% allocation to Microsoft, showing a 17% increase over the past year [14][15] - Select Sector SPDR Technology ETF (XLK), with $94.07 billion in assets and an 11.38% allocation to Microsoft, which has rallied 26.5% over the past year [16][17] - Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT), with $112.8 billion in net assets and a 12.19% allocation to Microsoft, which has soared 22.8% over the past year [18][19]

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft has been a leader in the AI sector, particularly after its investments in OpenAI, but recent earnings reports indicate potential challenges ahead, leading to a significant drop in stock price [1][2]. Financial Performance - Revenue increased by 17% to $81.3 billion, and operating income rose by 21% to $38.3 billion, resulting in an operating margin of 47% [5]. - Adjusted earnings per share grew by 24% to $4.14, with Azure revenue up 39%, contributing to $32.9 billion in the intelligent cloud segment [5]. Market Reaction - Despite solid fiscal second-quarter results, investors reacted negatively to flat revenue guidance for the third quarter, which is projected to be between $80.65 billion and $81.75 billion, reflecting a growth rate of 15%-17% [6]. - The stock experienced a double-digit decline, erasing over $400 billion from the company's market capitalization, which may be viewed as excessive [8]. Future Outlook - The company anticipates a 22%-23% increase in cost of goods sold, which could impact margins, and has indicated a decrease in capital expenditures due to normal variability [6]. - Free cash flow is declining as capital expenditures increase, and there is slower growth in the consumer business, potentially influenced by macroeconomic factors [7]. - Remaining performance obligations (RPO) rose to $625 billion, indicating positive future demand [7].

Three mega-cap tech companies reported earnings on Wednesday, and the market's verdict was swift and brutal for one company while two Magnificent 7 members received stamps of approval. ...

Core Insights - Microsoft (MSFT) stock has experienced a significant drop of 10% in a single day, raising concerns about Azure cloud growth, increasing AI costs, and reliance on OpenAI [2] - The company is valued at $3.2 trillion with a revenue of $305 billion, currently trading at $433.50 [3] - The stock's high valuation, with a P/E multiple of 27.0 and a P/EBIT multiple of 21.6, suggests it may be relatively expensive [4][7] Performance Analysis - Microsoft stock has shown resilience during past economic downturns, outperforming the S&P 500 in terms of recovery speed and extent of decline [5] - Historical performance indicates that MSFT stock decreased by 37.6% from a peak of $343.11 on November 19, 2021, to $214.25 on November 3, 2022, while the S&P 500 saw a peak-to-trough drop of 25.4% [8] - The stock fully recovered to its pre-crisis peak by June 15, 2023, and reached a high of $542.07 on October 28, 2025, before currently trading at $433.50 [8] Economic Context - Over the last 12 months, Microsoft has achieved a revenue growth of 16.7% and an operating margin of 46.7% [7] - The company maintains a low Debt to Equity ratio of 0.02 and a Cash to Assets ratio of 0.13, indicating strong liquidity [7] Historical Downturns - During the 2020 COVID pandemic, MSFT stock fell by 28.2% from a high of $188.70 on February 10, 2020, to $135.42 on March 16, 2020, compared to a 33.9% decline for the S&P 500 [9] - In the 2018 correction, the stock decreased by 18.6% from $115.61 on October 1, 2018, to $94.13 on December 24, 2018, while the S&P 500 dropped by 19.8% [9] - The stock plummeted by 59.1% during the 2008 global financial crisis, from $37.06 on November 1, 2007, to $15.15 on March 9, 2009, compared to a 56.8% decline for the S&P 500 [9]

QLTY's 37% Tech Allocation Was A Tailwind; Now It's A Liability - 24/7 Wall St.[S&P 5006,943.60 -0.39%] [Dow Jones48,866.90 -0.30%][Nasdaq 10025,735.60 -0.61%][Russell 20002,629.12 -0.78%][FTSE 10010,227.60 +0.01%][Nikkei 22553,698.20 +0.63%][Stock Market Live January 30, 2026: S&P 500 (SPY) Deep in the Red][Investing]# QLTY's 37% Tech Allocation Was A Tailwind; Now It's A Liability### Quick ReadGMO U.S. Quality ETF (QLTY) attracted $3B since November 2023. QLTY returned 20.5% and beat the S&P 500 by 500 ba ...

Why investors are suddenly nervous about Microsoft and newly confident in Meta - Fast Company[Try our mini crossword with a business twist: Play Fast Company Mini Crossword]LOGIN[SUBSCRIBE]- [INNOVATION FESTIVAL]- [Video]- [Podcasts]- [Games]- [Work Life]- [Leadership]- [News]- [Design]- [Tech]- [Premium]|[Custom Studio]- [Texas A&M University]- [IBM]BY [Taylor Hatmaker]Listen to this Article [More info]0:00 / 0:00Microsoft stock just suffered its biggest single day drop since 2020. Meanwhile, Meta stock po ...

In this articleMETAMSFTMicrosoft's stock isn't recovering in Friday's pre-market trading, after the stock saw its biggest daily decline since 2020 on Thursday, sliding 10% after an earnings report.It's trading 0.55% up on Thursday's close as of 6.44 am ET.This is despite the company's second-quarter earnings beating analyst revenue expectations. Like other hyperscalers, Microsoft has invested huge sums in its AI infrastructure buildout. But Meta reported huge AI spending on the same day and its stock jumped ...