Microsoft Corp.’s stock tumbled 5.82% on Wednesday following fiscal first-quarter results marked by a deceleration in cloud growth and weaker-than-expected holiday season guidance.
The company’s Azure cloud computing revenue, which is traditionally one of the company’s key growth drivers, rose 35% year-over-year, although this was a slowdown from 40% growth in the previous quarter, and 50% growth in the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were looking for 36.5% growth.
Microsoft’s
MSFT,
Azure numbers also dragged down rival Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN,
whose shares fell 2.8% on Wednesday. The software maker was also the biggest decliner by far in the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
The S&P 500 Index
SPX,
rose 0.21% on Wednesday.
PC revenue was $13.332 billion, a slight decrease from $13.366 billion in the same period last year, although up 3% in constant currency. The PC revenue number topped the $13.12 billion forecast from analysts surveyed by FactSet.
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“In our view, Microsoft’s results speak to a more persistent and challenging environment for the near future, as do comments made during the earnings call regarding ‘these changing economic times,’” wrote J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Murphy, in a note released Wednesday.
J.P. Morgan, which has an overweight rating on the software giant, lowered its Microsoft price target to $275 from $305.
Wolfe Research also lowered its Microsoft price target, to $280 from $340. “Winter is here, it’s coming for everyone and no software vendor will be left unscathed,” wrote Wolfe Research analyst Alex Zukin, in a note released on Wednesday.
However, the analyst firm believes that Microsoft is well-positioned to weather a challenging environment. While fiscal year 2023 now becomes a “macro driven gap-year” for Microsoft’s top and bottom line growth narrative, according to Zukin, he sees a potential return to both in fiscal year 2024.
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“We continue to favor MSFT in an increasingly worse macro environment,” wrote Zukin. “We remain constructive and still see the company as a brick house in a growing macro storm.”
Microsoft’s overall cloud revenue was $25.7 billion in its fiscal first quarter, a year-over-year increase of 24%, or 31% in constant currency. “We continue to see healthy demand across our commercial businesses including another quarter of solid bookings as we deliver compelling value for customers,” said Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, in the company’s earnings release.
The company’s bookings growth was a bright spot, according to Wolfe Research’s Zukin, showing year-over-year acceleration of 16%, compared to 14% in the same period last year. The analyst also pointed to the resiliency of Microsoft’s business, with its commercial portion growing 20% in constant currency.
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Set against this backdrop, Wolfe Research reiterated its outperform rating for Microsoft.
Of 49 analysts surveyed by FactSet, 44 have an overweight or buy rating on Microsoft, four have a hold rating and one has a sell rating.
