Why Microsoft Stock Is Up Today

Key Points Microsoft is finally disclosing Azure's quarterly revenue. The numbers look good. 10 stocks we like better than Microsoft › Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) rose on Thursday after the technology titan announced that it would provide investors with more information about its fast-growing cloud computing business. Image source: Getty Images. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue » Quantifying AI's impact on Azure Artificial intelligence ( AI ) runs on the cloud. The AI race, in turn, has been a boon for Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure platform. Microsoft is a key investor and partner of OpenAI and Anthropic. These and other leading AI model developers rely on Azure for a significant portion of their cloud computing needs. At the same time, tens of thousands of customers use Azure to access AI models, applications, and development tools. Yet while investors have long appreciated Azure's rapid pace of expansion, Microsoft has disclosed little beyond its growth rate. Until now. Microsoft has finally begun to report Azure's quarterly revenue figures. And investors apparently like what they see. Azure's revenue surged 42% year over year to $29.4 billion in its most recent quarter. That places it second only to cloud industry leader Amazon Web Services, whose revenue grew 37% to $42.2 billion in the quarter ended June 30. Azure's growth is accelerating Microsoft expects Azure's revenue to grow by 44% to 45% in constant currency in the current quarter, driven by soaring AI usage. Should you buy stock in Microsoft right now? Before you buy stock in Microsoft, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Microsoft wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $446,157 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,377,357 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 983 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of September 3, 2026. Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

Shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) rose on Thursday after the technology titan announced that it would provide investors with more information about its fast-growing cloud computing business.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

Artificial intelligence ( AI ) runs on the cloud. The AI race, in turn, has been a boon for Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure platform.

Microsoft is a key investor and partner of OpenAI and Anthropic. These and other leading AI model developers rely on Azure for a significant portion of their cloud computing needs.

At the same time, tens of thousands of customers use Azure to access AI models, applications, and development tools.

Yet while investors have long appreciated Azure's rapid pace of expansion, Microsoft has disclosed little beyond its growth rate. Until now.

Microsoft has finally begun to report Azure's quarterly revenue figures. And investors apparently like what they see.