Microsoft(MSFT) - 2026 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for the quarter was $81.3 billion, up 17% year-over-year and 15% in constant currency [24] - Gross margin dollars increased by 16% and 14% in constant currency, while operating income rose by 21% and 19% in constant currency [24] - Earnings per share was $4.14, an increase of 24% and 21% in constant currency when adjusted for the impact from the investment in OpenAI [24] - Company gross margin percentage was 68%, slightly down year-over-year due to investments in AI infrastructure [25] - Operating expenses increased by 5% and 4% in constant currency, driven by R&D investments [25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Microsoft Cloud revenue reached $51.5 billion, growing 26% and 24% in constant currency [30] - Revenue from productivity and business processes was $34.1 billion, growing 16% and 14% in constant currency [30] - M365 Commercial Cloud revenue increased by 17% and 14% in constant currency, with strong contributions from Copilot results [30] - Dynamics 365 revenue increased by 19% and 17% in constant currency, with growth across all workloads [31] - More Personal Computing revenue was $14.3 billion, declining by 3% [34] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Commercial bookings increased by 230% and 228% in constant currency, driven by large Azure commitments from OpenAI [28] - Commercial remaining performance obligation increased to $625 billion, up 110% year-over-year [29] - Microsoft Cloud gross margin percentage was slightly better than expected at 67% [30] - LinkedIn revenue increased by 11% and 10% in constant currency, driven by marketing solutions [31] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on AI diffusion and its impact on GDP, with a substantial growth in total addressable market (TAM) across the tech stack [5] - Investments are being made in AI infrastructure and high-value agentic experiences, with a focus on optimizing for long-term competitiveness [5][9] - The introduction of Agent 365 aims to extend governance and security controls to agents built on the cloud [14] - The company is committed to expanding its global footprint and sovereignty solutions to meet local data residency needs [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the ongoing demand for cloud services, with expectations of continued strong growth across commercial businesses [24][38] - The company anticipates revenue growth of 15%-17% for the next quarter, with a focus on balancing supply and demand [37] - Management highlighted the importance of investing in R&D and AI talent to drive future growth [49] Other Important Information - Capital expenditures for the quarter were $37.5 billion, with a significant portion allocated to short-lived assets like GPUs and CPUs [26] - Cash flow from operations was $35.8 billion, up 60%, driven by strong cloud billings [27] - The company returned $12.7 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, an increase of 32% year-over-year [27] Q&A Session Summary Question: Concerns about CapEx growth and Azure revenue - An investor raised concerns about the correlation between CapEx spending and Azure revenue growth, seeking clarity on ROI from these investments [47] - Management responded by emphasizing that CapEx is aimed at meeting increased demand for Azure and supporting long-term R&D and product innovation [48][49] Question: Understanding CapEx investment duration and revenue capture - Another investor inquired about the relationship between hardware CapEx investment and revenue, particularly regarding AI-centric investments [56] - Management clarified that much of the capital being spent is already contracted for its useful life, reducing associated risks [58] Question: Concerns about OpenAI exposure - An investor asked about the durability of the backlog related to OpenAI and its implications for the company [65] - Management highlighted the breadth and diversification of their portfolio, expressing confidence in the partnership with OpenAI [66][67] Question: Capacity additions and future growth - An investor sought comments on the magnitude of capacity additions, particularly in relation to specific sites [71] - Management indicated that they are working hard to add capacity globally and emphasized the need for efficient operations [72] Question: Performance of Maia 200 accelerator - An investor asked about the significance of the Maia 200 accelerator's performance and its implications for gross margins [77] - Management expressed excitement about the progress with Maia 200 and its potential to optimize costs and performance [78][80]