Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)today released its first quarter 2020 business results, exceeding analyst expectations in both sales and earnings. Investors celebrated the numbers and let the Microsoft share increase 3.48% after hours on Thursday, after it was already able to grow strongly in regular trading.
Overall, Microsoft achieved a 15 percent increase in sales to $ 35 billion in Q1 2020 (analyst consensus: $ 33.7 billion).
Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud (including Azure, GitHub and server products such as SQL Server and Windows Server) grew a whopping 27.2 percent to $ 12.28 billion.
Sales in the More Personal Computing division were particularly encouraging to $ 11 billion (up three percent). In January, Microsoft had to withdraw its forecast ($ 10.75 to $ 11.15 billion) in this line of business. Now the old forecast could still be kept.
Earnings per share were $ 1.40, an increase of 22 percent year over year (analyst consensus: $ 1.27 per share).
CEO Satya Nadella was very satisfied with the results: “Our long-lasting business model, our diversified portfolio and our differentiated technology stack position us well for the future.”
Microsoft Corporation shares rose by over 4 percent after the price had already increased by around 4.4 percent in regular trading. This means that the record high of February at $ 188.70 is within reach. Microsoft’s Q1 numbers are evidence of very robust business, which can show significant growth even in times of crisis.
