• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive

3

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
FinanceMicrosoft

Here’s Why Microsoft Shares Could Be Headed Much Higher

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 27, 2016, 3:48 PM ET
Ciara, Kat Graham, Lilly Singh, The Band Perry, Paula Abdul, George Takei, Marlee Matlin And More Come Together At WE Day Seattle To Celebrate The Power Young People Have To Change The World
SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 20: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks on stage during We Day at KeyArena on April 20, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for We Day)Photograph by Mat Hayward—Getty Images for We Day

Microsoft is, finally, partying like it is, well, the late 1990s.

Last week, shares of Microsoft (MSFT) rose above $58 for the first time since 1999. The stock is up nearly 21% in recent months, including 5% last Friday alone after the company’s most recent earnings announcement, and now trades at just over $60.

Along the way, the ride for investors has been a rollercoaster with a long lull in the middle. The stock was as low as $16 in 2009. For most of the oughts it was stuck in the 20s.

And with the run up in its stock price, Microsoft’s stock valuation has pushed higher and higher. Microsoft’s price-to-earnings multiple is now higher than the market in general, and higher than it has been in years. So are Microsoft’s shares still worth uploading to your portfolio?

First of all, the company is a lot different from what it was last time the stock was near $60 a share. In 1999, Microsoft had revenue of nearly $20 billion and earnings of $7.8 billion. These days the company generates $85 billion in annual revenue and it earned just over $16.5 billion in the past twelve months as of Sept. 30.

So despite being at the same price and market cap of $460 billion, Microsoft’s shares currently carry a price/earnings ratio of 29, or less than half of the 79 they traded for in 1999.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean Microsoft’s shares are cheap now. Figuring that out is in fact more difficult these days than it was two decades ago, when most of Microsoft’s earnings came from one product, Windows. But one way to do it is to take a closer look at the different and much more diverse business lines of today’s Microsoft, and see how investors are valuing their competitors in those businesses.

Microsoft reported better than expected earnings last week. What seems to have pulled the company out of its multi-year slump lately, though, is not a Windows revival but the company’s push into the cloud. Microsoft’s cloud division, which didn’t even exist a few years ago, now generates $25 billion a year. Of course, the cloud—shared storage and virtual operating systems—along with big data, is among the buzz areas of the computing business these days. And lots of tech giants want in, from retailer Amazon (AMZN) to consumer management software developer Salesforce (CRM).

Salesforce trades at a price-to-sales ratio of nearly 7. That’s higher than Microsoft’s overall price-to-sales ratio of 5.5, but again what matters is how Microsoft’s individual product lines should be valued. What’s more, Microsoft’s cloud services include software tools as well as computing power and storage, so it’s not exactly comparable to Salesforce. However, based on Salesforce’s valuation Microsoft’s cloud business, by itself, could be worth nearly $170 billion.

Microsoft still generates about $31 billion annually from its Windows operating system and office software (Word, Excel, etc.). That business has shrunk in the past few years, but it’s still valuable. Perhaps a good comparison for that is Oracle, which generates about $37 billion mostly from software sold to businesses. Oracle’s shares (ORCL) trade at a price/sales ratio of nearly 4; at that price, that would be another $124 billion in value for Microsoft.

On top of that, Microsoft generates about $13.5 billion a year from Xbox and Surface tablets, which Microsoft puts in its personal computing segment. Give that a roughly 3-times-sales, Apple-like multiple and that’s another $40 billion. There’s also another $6 billion that Microsoft generates from advertising. Google (GOOG) is the king of internet advertising, and its stock trades at a sales multiple of 13, which would value that portion of Microsoft’s business at nearly $80 billion.

Lastly, Microsoft has about $10 billion from providing business services, as well as server products and tools. Value that like IBM (IBM) and that part of Microsoft’s business should be worth another $20 billion.

Put that Salesforce-Oracle-Google-Apple-IBM mash-up together, and you get a total value for the company of roughly $435 billion or about $30 billion less than where Microsoft is currently trading. That means the market isn’t anticipating much growth from the company. It’s valued at what the company’s business lines are worth now.

And that could be because Microsoft hasn’t grown much in the past few years. Sales dropped 7% last year. But that appears to be changing, as the company’s pivot into cloud services gets more momentum. Sales growth was 5% in the most recent quarter, and expected to be up in the double digits by the end of this year.

Of course, Microsoft’s revenue growth was consistently above 25% back in 1990s. If it grew at even half that pace, Microsoft’s stock could be worth as much $79, which is 30% above where it’s trading now.

Party on.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Oil drops as U.S. says deal with Iran and Hormuz reopening is near
EnergyOil
Oil drops as U.S. says deal with Iran and Hormuz reopening is near
By Nicholas Lua and BloombergMay 24, 2026
8 hours ago
Russia’s economy is much worse than it seems, and ‘elites are increasingly alarmed’ as alternate GDP gauge shows huge contraction
EconomyRussia
Russia’s economy is much worse than it seems, and ‘elites are increasingly alarmed’ as alternate GDP gauge shows huge contraction
By Jason MaMay 24, 2026
8 hours ago
Alaska’s oil revival sparks a new energy rush Into the Arctic
EnergyOil
Alaska’s oil revival sparks a new energy rush Into the Arctic
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy and BloombergMay 24, 2026
10 hours ago
SpaceX stock is about to join this growing constellation of public companies building a space-based economy
Investingspace
SpaceX stock is about to join this growing constellation of public companies building a space-based economy
By Jason MaMay 24, 2026
11 hours ago
f
Energyfraud
Nonprofit fraud isn’t surging. Enforcement is
By Sarah Webber and The ConversationMay 24, 2026
15 hours ago
w
Personal FinanceWhite House
From Hobbes to the 14th amendment: the ancient and modern cases against Trump’s $1.8 billion fund
By Austin Sarat and The ConversationMay 24, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
4 days ago
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
Lifestyle
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
19 hours ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
3 days ago
Inside the 'stealth wealth' playbook: How Silicon Valley's elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
Real Estate
Inside the 'stealth wealth' playbook: How Silicon Valley's elite buy multimillion-dollar mansions without leaving a paper trail
By Sydney LakeMay 24, 2026
20 hours ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
5 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.