By Daniel Sparks
Publication Date: 2026-10-12 00:23:00
Microsoft (MSFT +2.38%) is back near where it was a year ago. Shares trade around $533 as I write, less than 2% below the record close of $542.07 the stock set on Oct. 28, 2025.
In between, the tech giant’s stock shed more than a third of its value, bottoming near $353 in late June. The largest leg of the rebound came after Microsoft’s July earnings report, which showed revenue from Azure, the company’s cloud computing platform, rising 43% year over year. For the full fiscal year, Azure revenue crossed $100 billion for the first time.
Microsoft reports again on Wednesday, Oct. 28 — exactly a year after that record close. And I think the stock needs one thing above all from that report. Azure has to keep growing comfortably faster than 40%.
Image source: Getty Images.
A 40% line
Across Microsoft’s past four reports, the stock’s next-day move has tracked Azure’s growth rate.
When the company posted 40% Azure growth for its fiscal first quarter of 2026 (the three months ended Sept….
