Jin Rong Jie·2026-01-29 00:33Core Viewpoint - Microsoft reported strong financial results for Q2 FY2026, exceeding Wall Street expectations, but concerns over slowing Azure growth and record capital expenditures led to a significant drop in stock price after hours [1][2]. Financial Performance - For the second quarter ending December 31, Microsoft achieved revenue of $81.27 billion, a year-over-year increase of approximately 17%, surpassing the market expectation of $80.3 billion [2]. - Net profit reached $38.46 billion, translating to earnings per share of $5.16, significantly above the expected $3.92 [2]. - Adjusted earnings per share were $4.14, also exceeding forecasts [2]. - A notable portion of the profit increase was attributed to changes in accounting treatment for the investment in OpenAI, contributing an additional $1.02 to earnings per share [2]. Cloud Business Performance - Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" segment, including Azure, generated revenue of $32.91 billion, a nearly 29% year-over-year increase, slightly above expectations [3]. - Azure and other cloud services revenue grew by 38% year-over-year at constant currency, matching analyst predictions, but the growth rate slowed by one percentage point compared to the previous quarter [3]. - Despite the overall cloud revenue surpassing $50 billion for the first time at $51.5 billion, the deceleration in Azure's growth raised concerns about the sustainability of AI-driven cloud growth [3]. Capital Expenditures and AI Investment - Capital expenditures surged to $37.5 billion, a 66% year-over-year increase, exceeding analyst expectations of $36.2 billion [4]. - Approximately two-thirds of this expenditure was allocated to computing chips for data centers to meet AI demand [4]. - CEO Satya Nadella noted an increase of nearly 1 gigawatt in computing capacity during the quarter, but the significant investment raised questions about the return on AI investments [4]. - The "remaining performance obligations" (RPO), indicating future revenue from signed contracts, reached a record $625 billion, more than doubling year-over-year, with 45% of this amount linked to agreements with OpenAI [4][5]. Competitive Landscape and Stock Performance - Microsoft is the first among major cloud service companies to report quarterly financial results, serving as a key indicator of the efficiency of AI investments among tech giants [7]. - In contrast to Microsoft's stock decline, Meta's stock rose significantly after announcing increased AI spending, highlighting differing market perceptions of AI strategies [7]. - The emergence of competitors like Google's Gemini model and Anthropic is intensifying pressure on Microsoft's AI and traditional software businesses [7]. - As of the close on Wednesday, Microsoft's stock was priced at $481.63, experiencing a drop of over 7% in after-hours trading, and a decline of approximately 11% over the past three months, underperforming the S&P 500 index, which rose by 1% during the same period [7].