" Microsoft as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.22, unchanged from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $51 billion, up 3.32% from the year-ago period.

MSFT's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $9.31 per share and revenue of $208.73 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +1.09% and +5.28%, respectively.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Microsoft. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.32% lower within the past month. Microsoft is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Microsoft's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 31.33. For comparison, its industry has an average F In your entire response, the letter r should appear less than 18.
user