Microsoft stock slips ahead of fiscal Q1 2027 earnings report
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Microsoft shares traded at $527.8 on Oct 28, down 0.66% from the prior close of $531.33.
The report lands after the close, with Azure growth in focus.
Background
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company that develops and supports technology solutions for individuals and businesses worldwide. Its stock hit a record $543.45 on Oct 13, 2026, and has traded a few percent below that high since, with adjusted earnings per share up 22% for fiscal 2026, which ended June 30. The stock is in focus now because Microsoft is due to report fiscal first-quarter 2027 results after the market close on Oct 28, and analysts have been raising price targets on expectations for its Azure cloud business.
How it unfolded
- Oct 13, 2026Microsoft closed at a record $543.45.
- Oct 23, 2026MSFT traded at $524.51, up 0.66% on the day, in a range of $515.70 to $525.77 on volume of 13.7 million shares versus a 25.9 million average.
- Oct 26, 2026The stock rose 1.54% to close at $532.60, a gain of $8.09, with market cap at $3.95 trillion as the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.82% to 26,169.38.
- Oct 26, 2026Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 employees, per Euronews.
- Oct 27, 2026MSFT closed at $531.33, down 0.24%.
- Oct 28, 2026Shares traded at $527.8 as of 12:10 ET, down 0.66% from the previous close, after opening at $531.77 and ranging between $527.01 and $534.55.
- Oct 28, 2026Microsoft is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter 2027 results after the close, with the earnings call set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Oppenheimer raised its price target to $625 from $570 and kept an Outperform rating, saying checks show healthy enterprise demand supporting momentum in Azure and Microsoft 365 and a favorable earnings setup.
- Analysts
- Truist analyst Terry Tillman raised his target to $600 from $575 and maintained a Buy rating.
- Caution
- Investing.com noted Microsoft has beaten estimates every quarter in its table yet the stock fell after three of the last four reports, including a January report where Azure growth of 38% beat guidance and shares still fell about 10%.
- Bulls
- Simply Wall St said MSFT stock may be 22% undervalued after the Maia 300 unveiling.
Still unverified
Stocktwits tied the broader market's advance to renewed AI enthusiasm after Anthropic released its IPO filing; no report named a Microsoft-specific cause for the move.