Microsoft slips after Q2 beat as cloud growth cools.


Software giant Microsoft traded lower in extended trading on Wednesday despite topping quarterly expectations, after the tech giant reported a slight slowdown in cloud growth.

  • Microsoft Corp.
  • 28 January 2026 23:12:16
Microsoft Corporation

Source: Sharecast

Microsoft said adjusted earnings came in at $4.14 per share, ahead of the $3.97 forecast, while revenues rose 16.7% year‑on‑year to $81.27bn, beating the $80.27bn expected. Net income jumped to $38.46bn from $24.11bn a year earlier, though gross margins narrowed to just over 68% - its lowest level in three years.

Azure and other cloud services grew 39%, a touch softer than the prior quarter's 40% expansion but broadly in line with expectations, while Intelligent Cloud revenue rose nearly 29% to $32.91bn, ahead of consensus.

Microsoft also booked $9.97bn in other income, helped by a dilution gain following OpenAI's restructuring, while commercial remaining performance obligations surged to $625bn, boosted by OpenAI's $250bn cloud commitment, with 45% of the total now tied to OpenAI. Commercial bookings jumped 230%.

Productivity and Business Processes revenues climbed 16% to $34.12bn, while More Personal Computing fell 3% to $14.25bn as gaming revenue declined and PC demand remained mixed. Capital spending continued to accelerate, rising 66% to $37.5bn in the quarter.

As of 2310 GMT, Microsoft shares were down 5.30% in extended trading at $456.10 each.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com


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