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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (Jason Redmond/Getty Images)

Microsoft beats on earnings and revenue

Microsoft reported earnings on Wednesday.

Microsoft posted fiscal first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations, powered by growth in its Azure cloud business.

For the quarter ended September 30, the software giant reported adjusted earnings per share of $4.13, beating analyst estimates of $3.67. Total revenue was $77.7 billion, up 18% year on year, coming in above forecasts of $75.4 billion.

Microsoft’s Azure cloud business revenues grew 40% year on year, compared with Wall Street’s expectations for 38% growth.

Despite the performance, shares dropped 2.6% in recent after-hours trading. Management indicated that they would provide guidance on the upcoming conference call.

Today, a widespread outage of the cloud service affected Microsoft’s Xbox and 365 platforms, as well as its investor relations site. The Azure support account on X wrote: “We’re investigating an issue impacting several Azure services. Customers may experience issues when accessing services.”

Breaking down the results by the company’s business lines:

  • ☁️ 🤖 “Intelligent Cloud” (Azure, server products): $30.9 billion in revenue, up 28% year on year, beating analyst estimates of $30.2 billion. Digging in deeper, Azure and other cloud services revenue increased 40%.

  • 📝 📊 “Productivity and Business Processes” (Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, Dynamics): $33 billion in revenue, up 17% year on year, beating analyst estimates of $32.3 billion.

  • 💻 🎮 “More Personal Computing” (Windows, Xbox, Bing): $13.8 billion in revenue, up 4% year on year, beating analyst estimates of $12.8 billion.

Tariffs may be starting to pinch Microsoft’s hardware business, as it raised Xbox prices twice this year. The company also announced that it’s moving most hardware production out of China.

CEO Satya Nadella said:

“Our planet-scale cloud and AI factory, together with Copilots across high value domains, is driving broad diffusion and real-world impact. It’s why we continue to increase our investments in AI across both capital and talent to meet the massive opportunity ahead.”

Capital expenditures for the quarter were $34.9 billion, up 74% year on year compared to analysts’ consensus forecast of $25.4 billion. Last quarter, Microsoft said it expected lower capex spending growth in the second half of the fiscal year.

After OpenAI announced the completion of its restructuring yesterday, Microsoft shared new details on the updated partnership between the two companies, which had become strained over the past few months.

Microsoft now holds a stake in OpenAI worth approximately $135 billion, or 27% of the $500 billion startup. The deal includes a commitment from OpenAI to buy $250 billion worth of Azure services, and includes new opportunities for Microsoft to pursue AGI on its own, or with partners.

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BlackBerry surges as software reinvention spurs retail attention

This message is brought to you by the mid-2000s: BlackBerry shares are surging in early trading.

But the once iconic smartphone maker finds itself back in the spotlight through software, not hardware.

The move follows renewed attention to its QNX software business after a Wall Street Journal report highlighted the unit’s growth, particularly in the automotive industry. This division accounts for roughly half of the company’s revenue, with the technology now embedded in roughly 275 million vehicles, powering features like driver assistance and infotainment.

BlackBerry reported its Q4 earnings in early April, with revenue of $156 million surpassing the top end of its guidance. That was fueled by stronger-than-expected sales across both its QNX and Secure Communications divisions. Shares then spiked later in the month after BlackBerry enhanced its partnership with Nvidia by integrating QNX with the chip designer’s robotics development platform.

The stock is up more than 50% year to date, making it one of the few stocks to go gangbusters thanks to its performance in software, an industry bedeviled by the competitive threat from AI.

Its recent hot run has come alongside more bullish activity in options markets. Less than half an hour into today’s session, more than 31,000 calls have already changed hands, roughly half of the full-day average over the past 20 days. The name also appears to be attracting retail attention, being one of the 15 most referenced tickers on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit over the past 12 hours, per SwaggyStocks.

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Norwegian Cruise Line sinks after outlook cut tied to higher fuel costs, weaker demand

Norwegian Cruise Line shares slid after the cruise operator cut its full-year outlook, overshadowing a first-quarter earnings beat.

The company lowered its guidance for full-year adjusted earnings per share to $1.45 to $1.79, down from its previous forecast of $2.38. It now sees adjusted EBITDA of $2.48 billion to $2.64 billion, below the company’s previous forecast of $2.95 billion and the $2.79 billion analysts were expecting.

The cut reflects a mix of macro and company-specific pressures. Higher fuel costs tied to the conflict in the Middle East are weighing on margins, while demand for European travel has softened and bookings remain below target level.

Norwegian said it entered 2026 “behind its targeted booking curve,” with geopolitical disruptions further slowing its ability to close that gap. The stock had already been under pressure, down more than 16% this year heading into the results.

On Monday morning before the open, the stock was down 6.7%.

The company’s first-quarter adjusted EPS came in at $0.23, topping estimates, but the beat was overshadowed by the guidance cut.

CEO John Chidsey said the company has already begun “taking decisive actions to strengthen execution and accountability,” including cost cutting and efficiency measures aimed at offsetting near-term pressures.

Shares of other cruise lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, traded slightly lower after the report.

Separately, three people have died and at least three others are sick after a suspected outbreak of hantavirus aboard a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Though that ship isn’t operated by one of the large publicly traded cruise liners, the news poses a potential reputational risk for the industry.

markets

WSJ reports GameStop is preparing an offer for eBay and has quietly been building a stake in the company

GameStop is preparing an offer for eBay and has been quietly building a stake in the company, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, a move it calls “part of CEO Ryan Cohen’s audacious plan to turn the trailer into a $100 billion-plus juggernaut.”

From WSJ:

GameStop, which has a market value of around $12 billion, has been quietly building a stake in eBay’s shares ahead of a potential offer, the people said. EBay is several times GameStop’s size, with a market value of around $46 billion. 

GameStop could submit an offer for eBay as soon as later this month, the people said. 

If eBay isn’t receptive, Cohen could decide to take the offer directly to eBay’s shareholders, one of the people added. Details of the potential offer for eBay couldn’t be learned.

Shares of GameStop rose 7.4% after-hours following the report, while eBay soared 12%. 

GameStop, which has a market value of around $12 billion, has been quietly building a stake in eBay’s shares ahead of a potential offer, the people said. EBay is several times GameStop’s size, with a market value of around $46 billion. 

GameStop could submit an offer for eBay as soon as later this month, the people said. 

If eBay isn’t receptive, Cohen could decide to take the offer directly to eBay’s shareholders, one of the people added. Details of the potential offer for eBay couldn’t be learned.

Shares of GameStop rose 7.4% after-hours following the report, while eBay soared 12%. 

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