1 Reason Microsoft Stock Could Outperform the Market in 2026

Group 1 - Microsoft's stock has declined 11% in 2026, with a significant drop of 10% following its Q2 fiscal year 2026 earnings report [1][2] - The S&P 500 has only increased by 1%, indicating that Microsoft faces challenges in outperforming the market despite its current low price [2] - Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing division, is identified as a key factor that could enable the company to outperform the market in 2026 [2][4] Group 2 - Cloud computing is essential for AI development, as smaller companies cannot afford to build their own data centers, leading them to rely on large tech firms like Microsoft [4] - Microsoft does not disclose Azure's individual profit margins, but competitors AWS and Google Cloud reported operating margins of 35% and 24% respectively [5] - It is estimated that Azure's operating margins are likely between 25% to 35%, which may be lower than Microsoft's overall operating margin of around 47% [6] Group 3 - Azure is the fastest-growing segment for Microsoft, with a revenue growth rate of 39% in Q2 [8] - Microsoft's overall growth rate for Q2 was 17%, with Microsoft 365 Consumer Cloud being the next fastest-growing segment at 29% [8][9] - The growth of cloud computing is expected to continue driving Microsoft's performance in the coming years [9]