Microsoft Posts Good Quarter Despite Slight Azure Miss; Macro Conditions Pressure; FVE Cut to $320

Microsoft reported solid fiscal first-quarter 2023 results, including revenue and EPS results ahead of the guidance midpoints. The outlook, however, was worse than our below-consensus model was contemplating. Macro pressures continue to weigh on the company’s performance. Bulls can point to good growth in commercial bookings and commercial remaining performance obligation to find near-term comfort, while bears will no doubt highlight slowing Azure and weaker-than-expected guidance. We continue to find encouragement in Azure, Office E5 migration, and traction with the Power platform for long-term value creation, but we think near-term pressures will not be exhausted within the next quarter. It is premature to say the Azure growth story is over despite the slowdown. We see results as reinforcing our thesis centering on the proliferation of hybrid cloud environments and Azure, as the firm continues to use its on-premises dominance to allow clients to move to the cloud at their own pace.