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Microsoft Q4 FY2026 Earnings: What to Expect on 28 July 2026
July 28 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Microsoft Q4 FY2026 Earnings: What to Expect on 28 July 2026
MSFT Quarterly Earnings: Revenue $90.0bn (beat ~$89.4bn); EPS $4.74 (beat $4.33); Azure +43% YoY (Tuesday, at 12:00 pm ET (5:00 pm London)).
- Actual
- Revenue $90.0bn
Updated
Microsoft reported fourth-quarter fiscal year 2026 results on July 28, 2026, after the US market closed, beating revenue and earnings estimates and sending its shares sharply higher in after-hours trading as Azure cloud growth accelerated beyond expectations.
The results close Microsoft’s fiscal year 2026, a period defined by rapid AI infrastructure investment and the commercial rollout of Copilot across the Microsoft 365 and Azure product suite. Investors will be watching closely for Azure growth figures, Copilot monetisation progress, and initial guidance for FY2027.
What Are the Microsoft Q4 FY2026 Earnings?
Microsoft’s fiscal year runs July to June, making Q4 FY2026 the final quarter of the year, covering April, May, and June 2026. The company reports across three main segments: Intelligent Cloud (Azure, server products, GitHub Enterprise), Productivity and Business Processes (Microsoft 365, Teams, LinkedIn, Dynamics), and More Personal Computing (Windows, Surface, Xbox, Bing).
Azure, the company’s cloud computing platform, has been the primary growth driver for several consecutive years. Enterprise migration to cloud infrastructure and demand for AI compute workloads sustained Azure growth rates above 29% year-on-year throughout FY2025. The Q4 FY2026 report will show how that rate has evolved as AI deployment has scaled from experimentation into production.
Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI has given Azure a direct pipeline of AI workloads. Beyond the OpenAI relationship, enterprises building their own AI applications using GPU compute, Azure OpenAI Service, and Azure AI Foundry represent a growing share of cloud demand. These workloads tend to carry higher margins than traditional cloud migration, making their growth rate a key signal for profitability trends.
Release Date and How to Follow
Microsoft will publish its Q4 FY2026 results after the US market closes on Tuesday 28 July 2026. The press release will be available on the Microsoft Investor Relations website. A conference call with CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood typically begins at approximately 5:30pm ET on the same evening and is available via live webcast on the IR site.
Full segment breakdowns, including Intelligent Cloud revenue and Azure growth disclosures, are contained in the earnings press release and supplementary financial tables released at market close. Major financial press carries results in real time.
Why These Results Matter
Microsoft is among the world’s largest companies by market capitalisation. Its quarterly results influence sentiment across the technology sector, enterprise software, and the broader AI infrastructure supply chain, including chip makers, data centre operators, and networking equipment suppliers.
These results will provide the most current public read on whether Microsoft’s Copilot AI products are generating commercial returns at scale. Copilot is priced at a significant premium above standard Microsoft 365 licences. Concrete data on seat counts, AI commercial customer numbers, or AI-attributable revenue will be interpreted as evidence for or against the AI monetisation thesis that underpins much of the company’s current valuation.
Capital expenditure commitments are a second major focus. Microsoft has been investing heavily in global datacentre capacity to support Azure AI workloads. Any revision to FY2027 capex plans will be read as a forward indicator of management’s confidence in Azure demand growth. The scale of these commitments means capex guidance is watched far beyond Microsoft’s own investor base.
What to Watch For
Azure revenue growth rate: This is the headline metric. Analyst consensus expects year-on-year growth in the 28-31% range. A reading above 32% would signal continued AI-driven demand acceleration; below 26% would likely disappoint against current valuations. Management commentary on what proportion of Azure growth is attributable to AI workloads, versus traditional enterprise cloud migration, will be closely parsed.
Copilot monetisation: Microsoft has been scaling its AI assistant across Microsoft 365, GitHub, Dynamics, and other products. Any disclosure of Copilot seat counts, AI commercial customer numbers, or revenue separately attributed to AI features will be treated as a key data point on the pace of enterprise AI monetisation.
Capital expenditure and FY2027 guidance: With AI infrastructure spending at elevated levels, any revision to the FY2026 annual capex figure and the initial FY2027 revenue outlook will set market expectations for the year ahead. Management typically provides the first full-year guidance on the Q4 call.
Productivity and Business Processes segment: Microsoft 365 commercial cloud seat growth and average revenue per user will indicate whether enterprise demand for productivity software remains resilient. LinkedIn revenue growth and Dynamics 365 performance against Salesforce and SAP will also be assessed.
Analyst Consensus Estimates
| Metric | Consensus Estimate | Microsoft Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $89.37 billion | $86.7-$87.8 billion |
| Adjusted EPS | $4.33 | Not separately disclosed |
| Azure Revenue Growth (YoY) | ~28-31% | Not disclosed |
Historical Context
| Quarter | Revenue | EPS (Non-GAAP) | Azure Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 FY2025 (Jan-Mar 2025) | $70.07 billion | $3.46 | 33% |
| Q2 FY2025 (Oct-Dec 2024) | $69.63 billion | $3.23 | 31% |
| Q1 FY2025 (Jul-Sep 2024) | $65.59 billion | $3.30 | 33% |
| Q4 FY2024 (Apr-Jun 2024) | $64.73 billion | $3.23 | 29% |
Source: Microsoft investor relations earnings releases. EPS figures are non-GAAP adjusted. Azure growth rates are year-on-year comparisons.
Market Positioning Ahead of Results
Microsoft enters Q4 FY2026 with analyst consensus of $89.37 billion sitting above the top of management’s own guidance range of $87.8 billion, a gap of over $1.5 billion. This pattern of conservative guidance followed by consensus beats has been consistent across recent fiscal years and has helped sustain investor confidence through a period of elevated capital expenditure.
The share price reaction will be driven primarily by three variables: Azure growth versus the 28-31% consensus range, the credibility and scale of any Copilot monetisation disclosure, and the initial FY2027 revenue guidance. A strong print on all three would reinforce the AI infrastructure thesis underpinning the company’s valuation. A miss on Azure growth would likely prompt a sharper reaction given stretched multiples.
The FY2027 guidance provided on the Q4 call will also be assessed for clues on whether management expects the current AI-driven growth phase to sustain or moderate. First-quarter FY2027 guidance combined with full-year commentary will set the market’s frame for Microsoft’s growth narrative into 2027.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When does Microsoft report Q4 FY2026 earnings?
Microsoft reports Q4 FY2026 results after US market close on Tuesday 28 July 2026.
What is the analyst consensus for Microsoft Q4 FY2026 revenue?
Wall Street consensus forecasts total revenue of $89.37 billion, above Microsoft’s own guidance range of $86.7-$87.8 billion.
What is the consensus EPS forecast for MSFT Q4 FY2026?
Analyst consensus forecasts adjusted EPS of $4.33 for the quarter.
What is the most important metric to watch?
Azure revenue growth year-on-year is the primary metric. Any reading materially above or below the 28-31% consensus range is likely to drive significant share price movement. Initial FY2027 guidance provided on the call is the secondary focus.
What is Microsoft’s fiscal year schedule?
Microsoft’s fiscal year runs July to June. Q4 FY2026 covers April, May, and June 2026, with results reported in late July 2026 after market close.
Photo by Nick Chong on Unsplash
Results: Microsoft Q4 FY2026
Microsoft reported Q4 FY2026 revenue of $90.0 billion, above the analyst consensus of approximately $89.4 billion and well above the company’s own guidance range of $86.7-$87.8 billion. Adjusted EPS came in at approximately $4.74, ahead of the $4.33 consensus. Azure and other cloud services grew 43% year on year, beating the approximately 40% analyst expectation and marking the first time Microsoft’s cloud segment crossed $100 billion in annual revenue across a full fiscal year. Microsoft 365 Copilot paid seats exceeded 30 million. Net income rose 31% year on year to $35.8 billion. (Source: Microsoft Q4 FY2026 earnings release; CNBC; Yahoo Finance.)
Market Reaction
Microsoft shares surged approximately 8% in after-hours trading following the results, adding roughly $260 billion in market capitalisation in a single session. The Azure growth acceleration and Copilot adoption figures were cited by analysts as the primary drivers of the positive market reaction, confirming that enterprise AI monetisation had reached meaningful scale.