ZACKS·2025-04-28 22:10Group 1 - Earnings season is active, with notable reports from Mag 7 members including Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta Platforms (META) [1][8] - The Mag 7 trade has cooled off, but META and MSFT have shown resilience, reflecting the highest defense among peers year-to-date [1] - META shares have underperformed, down approximately 20% over the last three months, with EPS expectations lowered to $5.21, nearly a 5% decrease since February [3][4] Group 2 - META is expected to see 11% EPS growth on 13% higher sales, with advertising sales forecasted at $40.4 billion, a 13.4% increase year-over-year [4][6] - Microsoft’s EPS growth is projected at 9% on 11% higher sales, maintaining a stable revision trend [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud sales is $26.1 billion, with a focus on cloud outlook and capital expenditures related to data center buildouts amid AI developments [15][16][18]