February 8, 2026 03:47 PM GMT Software | North America Software Gut Check – AI IS Software Peak uncertainty has severely impacted Software multiples, as investor worry about potential AI impacts. GenAI fundamentally expands the capabilities of enterprise software – presenting opportunities along with risks, with the pullback giving attractive entry points in well positioned incumbents. Key Takeaways Setting the Stage – The AI Opportunity in Software. Generative AI represents the continuing expansion of what ...

- 净利润 384.58 亿美元 ，同比大增 60%(但 GAAP 利润受 OpenAI 投资亏损拖累， 调整后净利润 309 亿元 ，增⻓ 23%) - 成本端，服务与其他成本同比上升 25.2%至 224.73 亿美元，主要源于数据中心扩张与 AI 算力投入， 但毛利率提升至 68.0% (上年同期 68.7%)，显示规 模效应与运营效率优化。 运营利润 382.75 亿美元 ，同比增⻓20.9%。 市场质疑 · 资本⽀出的⿊洞⻛险 - 本季度资本支出高达 375 亿美元，同比暴增 66%，多用于 GPU 与数据中心; FY26Q2核心财务数据 - 2026 财年第二季度总营收达 812.73 亿美元 ，同比增⻓ 16.7%，驱动核心为云服务收入增⻓ 26%至 515亿美元，AI 驱动的云业务持续高增⻓。 - Azure 与云服务收入同比激增 39% ，带动服务与其他收入达 648 亿美元，贡献超 80%营收，云业务成为核心增⻓引擎。 - 投资者质疑: 若 AI 硬件使用周期短于服务合同期限，折旧压力可能侵蚀利润，形成"期限错配"; - 与 Meta 将 AI 基建表外化不同，微软选择全额表内折旧，导致云 ...

Core Insights - Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has experienced significant capital expenditures, particularly in artificial intelligence, which has led to a decline in share prices due to slower-than-expected cloud revenue growth [2][3]. Financial Performance - In the fiscal second quarter, total revenue increased by 17% to $81.3 billion, while costs rose by 19%, leading to concerns about profitability [2]. - Azure sales grew by 39%, slightly above forecasts, but investor sentiment was negatively impacted by the overall financial performance [2]. - For the third quarter, Microsoft projects Azure growth of 37% to 38% and total revenue close to $81.2 billion [3]. Capital Expenditures - Capital spending reached $37.5 billion, marking a nearly 66% year-on-year increase, with a significant portion allocated to computing chips [2]. - The cloud backlog has doubled to $625 billion, with OpenAI contributing nearly 45% of this total [3]. Market Reaction - Following the announcement of increased spending and slower cloud growth, Microsoft shares fell by 6.5% in after-hours trading [2]. - Year-to-date, the stock is down by 8.34% as of January 29, 2026 [4]. Competitive Landscape - Investor concerns have been heightened due to competition from Google's Gemini and other AI rivals [3]. - Executives have warned that rising memory chip costs could further pressure profitability [3].

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Overweight" rating for the industry, recommending investment in AI computing, cloud vendors, AI applications, and AI social directions [5]. Core Insights - The AI industry chain is accelerating across the board, with upstream storage continuing to show high prosperity. ClawdBot (now renamed Moltbot) is reshaping the agent experience, and cloud vendors are entering the ROI assessment phase [2][5]. - ClawdBot demonstrates three innovations: 1) Permission breakthrough allowing AI models to be deployed on local edge hardware with root access, ensuring user data remains local; 2) Proactive interaction, running 24/7 and notifying users of specific events; 3) UI restructuring, integrating into frequently used messaging apps to lower usage barriers [5][8]. - The capital investment of SaaS companies is transitioning into the ROI assessment phase, with Meta's AI-driven advertising business exceeding expectations, projecting Q1 2026 revenue between $53.5 billion and $56.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26% to 34% [9][5]. - Storage continues to thrive, with SanDisk reporting an adjusted EPS of $6.20 for Q4 2025, a 404% increase year-on-year, significantly above market expectations [10][5]. Summary by Sections AI Computing and Cloud Vendors - The report highlights the significant demand for cloud computing resources driven by ClawdBot's operational needs, predicting exponential growth in token consumption and cloud computing requirements [5][8]. - Major cloud service providers like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are expected to benefit from this shift, especially as they transition from CapEx-driven pricing to ROI assessment [9][5]. AI Applications - The report emphasizes the potential of AI applications, particularly in advertising and content generation, with Meta's AI tools achieving an annual revenue scale of $10 billion [9][5]. - Microsoft’s Azure revenue is projected to grow by 38% year-on-year, with M365 Copilot paid seats increasing by 160% [9][5]. Storage Sector - NAND and DRAM sectors are highlighted for their robust performance, with SanDisk and SK Hynix reporting significant profit increases and strong demand forecasts for AI-related storage solutions [10][5]. - Samsung anticipates a threefold increase in HBM revenue by 2026, indicating the critical role of storage in AI architecture [10][5]. Investment Recommendations - The report recommends specific companies for investment: NVIDIA, TSMC, ASML, and Broadcom in the computing sector; Microsoft, Amazon, and Google in cloud services; and Apple, Qualcomm, Lenovo, and Tesla in AI applications [27][28].

Investment Rating - The investment rating for Microsoft is "Outperform" [5] Core Insights - Microsoft reported a strong overall performance in FY26Q2, with total revenue of $81.3 billion (up 17% YoY), operating profit of $38.3 billion (up 21% YoY), and net profit of $35.4 billion (up 47% YoY) [1][9] - Azure cloud growth is showing signs of marginal slowdown, with guidance for next quarter's capital expenditure expected to decrease sequentially [2][3] - The company is prioritizing resource allocation towards internal AI products like Copilot rather than cloud business, raising concerns about returns [2] - Microsoft cloud revenue surpassed $50 billion for the first time, with Azure growing 39% YoY, and commercial bookings increasing by 228% [2][6] - The productivity and business processes segment saw revenue of $34.1 billion (up 16% YoY), driven by M365 Copilot and E5 [7] - Capital expenditures reached a record high of $37.5 billion (up 66% YoY), with guidance indicating a sequential decline in FY26Q3 [8] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - Total revenue for the quarter was $81.3 billion, with a breakdown of $34.1 billion from productivity and business processes (up 16% YoY), $32.9 billion from intelligent cloud (up 29% YoY), and $14.3 billion from personal computing (down 3% YoY) [1][10] Business Segments - Intelligent Cloud: Revenue of $32.9 billion (up 29% YoY), with Azure growing 39% YoY, exceeding guidance of 37% [10] - Productivity and Business Processes: Revenue of $34.1 billion (up 16% YoY), with M365 commercial cloud revenue growing 17% YoY [7] - Personal Computing: Revenue of $14.3 billion (down 3% YoY), with mixed performance across segments [10] Capital Expenditure and Guidance - Capital expenditures for the quarter were $37.5 billion, with a significant portion allocated to short-term assets like GPUs and CPUs [8] - Guidance for FY26Q3 indicates a sequential decline in capital expenditures due to normal fluctuations in cloud infrastructure construction [8] Future Outlook - Revenue projections for the next quarter include intelligent cloud revenue of $34.1-34.4 billion (up 27%-28% YoY) and productivity and business revenue of $34.25-34.55 billion (up 15%-16% YoY) [3]

Investment Rating - The investment rating for the company is maintained as "Buy" with a target price of $539.22 [1][5] Core Views - The company reported FY26Q2 revenue of $81.3 billion, a year-over-year increase of 17%, exceeding Visible Alpha consensus by 1.20% [1] - The growth in revenue was primarily driven by the productivity and business processes, as well as the intelligent cloud segments, indicating a strong outlook for AI commercialization in FY2026 [1] - The number of paid users for M365 Copilot exceeded 15 million, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 160%, while GitHub Copilot paid users reached 4.7 million, up 75% year-over-year [2] - The intelligent cloud business revenue reached $32.9 billion, with Azure and other cloud services revenue growing by 39% year-over-year, although the growth rate showed a slight deceleration compared to the previous quarter [3] - The company’s capital expenditures (CapEx) for FY26Q2 were $37.5 billion, a 66% increase year-over-year, indicating a strong commitment to AI commercialization despite a guidance for a slowdown in CapEx for FY26Q3 [4] - Revenue forecasts for FY26-28 have been slightly adjusted upwards to $326.5 billion, $380.6 billion, and $445.8 billion respectively, with EPS estimates also increased [5] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - FY26Q2 revenue was $81.3 billion, with a 17% year-over-year increase and net profit of $38.5 billion, up 60% year-over-year [1] - The productivity and business processes segment generated $34.1 billion in revenue, a 16% increase year-over-year, driven by the acceleration of Copilot product commercialization [2] - The intelligent cloud segment reported $32.9 billion in revenue, a 29% increase year-over-year, with Azure revenue growing by 39% [3] Capital Expenditures - CapEx for FY26Q2 was $37.5 billion, a 66% increase year-over-year, indicating a strong focus on AI commercialization [4] - The company expects a slowdown in CapEx for FY26Q3, but overall CapEx growth for FY26 is anticipated to exceed FY25 levels [4] Earnings Forecast - Revenue projections for FY26-28 have been adjusted to $326.5 billion, $380.6 billion, and $445.8 billion respectively, reflecting positive growth expectations [5] - EPS estimates for FY26-28 have been slightly increased to $16.34, $19.43, and $23.16 respectively [5]

Investment Rating - The investment rating for Microsoft is "Outperform" [5] Core Insights - Microsoft reported a strong overall performance in FY26Q2, with total revenue of $81.3 billion (up 17% YoY), operating profit of $38.3 billion (up 21% YoY), and net profit of $35.4 billion (up 47% YoY) [1][9] - Azure cloud growth is showing signs of marginal slowdown, with guidance for next quarter's capital expenditure expected to decrease sequentially [2][3] - The company is prioritizing resource allocation towards internal AI products like Copilot rather than cloud business, raising concerns about returns [2] - Microsoft cloud revenue surpassed $50 billion for the first time, with Azure growing 39% YoY, and commercial bookings increasing by 228% [2][6] - The productivity and business processes segment saw revenue of $34.1 billion (up 16% YoY), driven by M365 Copilot and E5 [7] - Capital expenditures reached a record high of $37.5 billion (up 66% YoY), with guidance indicating a sequential decline in FY26Q3 [8] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - Total revenue for the quarter was $81.3 billion, with a breakdown of $34.1 billion from productivity and business processes (up 16% YoY), $32.9 billion from intelligent cloud (up 29% YoY), and $14.3 billion from personal computing (down 3% YoY) [1][10] Business Segments - Intelligent Cloud: Revenue of $32.9 billion (up 29% YoY), with Azure growing 39% YoY, exceeding guidance of 37% [10] - Productivity and Business Processes: Revenue of $34.1 billion (up 16% YoY), with M365 commercial cloud revenue growing 17% YoY [7] - Personal Computing: Revenue of $14.3 billion (down 3% YoY), with mixed performance across segments [10] Future Outlook - Revenue guidance for the next quarter includes intelligent cloud revenue of $34.1-34.4 billion (up 27%-28% YoY) and productivity and business processes revenue of $34.25-34.55 billion (up 15%-16% YoY) [3] - Operating expenses are expected to be $17.8-17.9 billion, with cost of goods sold projected at $26.65-26.85 billion [3] Valuation Adjustments - Revenue forecasts for FY26-28 have been adjusted to $327.8 billion, $373.9 billion, and $433.2 billion respectively, with net profit estimates revised to $123 billion, $146.5 billion, and $172.1 billion [3]

Core Viewpoint - Despite a significant drop in Microsoft's stock price due to Azure's growth rate falling short of market expectations, Morgan Stanley maintains a bullish outlook, emphasizing the company's overall strong performance metrics and future growth potential [1][11]. Group 1: Financial Performance - Microsoft reported a revenue of over $240 billion with a constant currency growth of 15%, an operating margin expansion of 160 basis points to 47%, and a 21% increase in EPS [1][11]. - The second fiscal quarter of FY2026 showed Azure's constant currency growth at 38%, slightly above company guidance but below investor expectations [1][2]. - The total commercial remaining performance obligations (cRPO) grew by 39% year-over-year, indicating robust future demand, with total RPO reaching $625 billion, a 110% increase [1][4]. Group 2: Azure Growth Constraints - CFO Amy Hood highlighted that Azure's growth is constrained by supply issues rather than demand, stating that customer demand exceeds supply capabilities [2]. - The management is balancing Azure growth with investments in first-party applications like M365 Copilot, which is seen as a long-term strategic decision [2]. Group 3: M365 Copilot and User Growth - M365 Commercial Cloud showed a constant currency growth of 14%, with 15 million paid M365 Copilot seats and a tenfold increase in daily active users [3]. - The growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) is becoming a key contributor, with E5 upgrades previously driving growth now being overtaken by Copilot as the primary growth driver [3]. Group 4: Profitability and Guidance - Microsoft achieved a gross margin of 68.0%, exceeding market expectations, and an operating margin of 45.6%, also above expectations [4]. - The company raised its full-year operating margin guidance from "essentially flat" to "slightly up," reflecting strong cost control and operational efficiency [4]. Group 5: Valuation and Price Target - Morgan Stanley maintains a price target of $650 for Microsoft, based on a 31x CY27 EPS of $21.17, slightly down from a previous 32x valuation [5]. - The firm believes that Microsoft's strong positioning and execution justify its premium valuation compared to peers [5].

Core Insights - Microsoft reported Q2 FY26 revenue of $81.3 billion, a 17% year-over-year increase, with operating income up 21% and adjusted EPS at $4.14, reflecting a 24% increase [1] - Cloud revenue surpassed $50 billion for the first time, reaching $51.5 billion, a 26% increase year-over-year [1] - The company’s commercial order volume grew by 230% year-over-year, driven by significant long-term commitments from clients like OpenAI [1] Financial Performance - Q2 revenue: $81.3 billion, up 17% YoY (15% at constant currency) [1] - Operating income: up 21% YoY (19% at constant currency) [1] - Adjusted EPS: $4.14, up 24% YoY (21% at constant currency) [1] - Cloud revenue: $51.5 billion, up 26% YoY (24% at constant currency) [1] - Gross margin: 67% [1] Business Outlook - Q3 revenue forecast: $80.65 billion to $81.75 billion, a 15%-17% YoY increase [1] - Expected cost of revenue: $26.65 billion to $26.85 billion, a 22% YoY increase [1] - Anticipated operating expenses: $17.8 billion to $17.9 billion, a 10%-11% YoY increase [1] - Capital expenditures expected to decrease quarter-over-quarter due to normal fluctuations in cloud infrastructure construction [1] Strategic Focus - The company’s strategy emphasizes three layers of technology stack: cloud and token factory, agent platform, and superior agent experience [2] - The impact of AI on GDP and Total Addressable Market (TAM) growth is just beginning [2] - The agent platform is seen as the next generation of application platforms, requiring various services for deployment and management [2] Capital Expenditure and ROI - CapEx growth is driven by long-term demand, with investments aimed at supporting applications like M365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot [3] - Azure's growth guidance is linked to capacity allocation rather than immediate revenue [3] - The average contract duration for RPO has increased from 2 years to 2.5 years, indicating a more stable revenue outlook [3] OpenAI Partnership - Approximately 45% of the unfulfilled orders (RPO) are related to OpenAI, with the remaining 55% reflecting a diverse business portfolio [4][5] - The partnership with OpenAI is viewed positively, contributing to Microsoft's leadership in technology and application innovation [5] Capacity Expansion - The company is focused on increasing capacity globally, with significant projects in Atlanta and Wisconsin [6] - Long-term infrastructure development is prioritized to ensure efficient deployment of GPU and CPU resources [6] Chip Development - The Maia 200 accelerator shows significant performance improvements, enhancing Microsoft's competitive edge in AI workloads [6] - Continuous innovation in chip design and system optimization is crucial for maintaining cost advantages [7] Client Transformation - Clients adopting Microsoft’s AI technology stack are experiencing transformative benefits, with potential for increased spending as they become "frontier firms" [8] - The deployment of agents is changing how companies coordinate work, leading to greater impact [8] Cloud Migration Trends - Ongoing cloud migration is evident, with services like SQL Server on Azure showing growth [9] - The need for a balanced approach between commercial cloud and AI cloud is emphasized as clients migrate workloads [9]

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft shares have fallen over 11% due to concerns about capital expenditure (capex) plans, despite exceeding second-quarter earnings estimates [1][36] Group 1: Capital Expenditure and Investor Sentiment - Microsoft’s capex for Q2 reached nearly $38 billion, exceeding street expectations, which has spooked investors [58] - The company is facing capacity constraints and has indicated that Azure revenue could have been significantly higher without these constraints [5][12] - In contrast, Meta's capex plans were initially met with skepticism but have since been positively received following strong quarterly results [2][3] Group 2: Azure Performance and Growth Metrics - Azure's revenue grew by 38% in constant currency, adding approximately $9 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) sequentially, which was a broad-based beat across the portfolio [6][58] - Microsoft has 15 million subscriptions for its M365 co-pilot, which is a relatively small number compared to its overall user base [38][60] - Microsoft Fabric has reached $2 billion in ARR, reflecting a 60% increase since its launch less than two years ago, indicating strong growth potential [15] Group 3: AI Demand and Strategic Positioning - There is unprecedented demand for AI, driven by both model providers and enterprise adoption, which Microsoft is strategically positioned to capitalize on [13][20] - OpenAI contributes significantly to Microsoft’s commercial backlog, representing 45% of the remaining performance obligations (RPO), which is seen as a strength rather than a liability [18][19] - Microsoft’s products are designed to be model-agnostic, allowing flexibility in utilizing various AI technologies, which mitigates dependency on any single provider [20] Group 4: Market Dynamics and Future Outlook - The market is currently skeptical about the ability of software companies to navigate the evolving landscape of AI and LLMs, leading to pressure on companies like Salesforce and Microsoft [21][25] - Accelerating growth and demonstrating proof points around AI adoption are critical for companies to regain investor confidence [29][30] - The current market pullback is viewed as a potential buying opportunity for quality names like Microsoft, as long-term growth prospects remain strong [27][33]