MSFT vs BABA vs DOCN Stock Comparison

Microsoft, Alibaba Group Holding and DigitalOcean Holdings Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MSFT Microsoft Corp
$524.51 +4.8% 1M +0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.96T
P/E
29.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$331.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Cloud Platforms Technology
7 wins
BABA Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
$99.63 -10.1% 1M -42.0% 1Y
Market cap
$232.58B
P/E
22.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$150.46B
Div. yield
–
Digital Marketplaces Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Microsoft leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Microsoft 7, Alibaba Group Holding 2, DigitalOcean Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSFTBABADOCNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.96T $232.58B $10.41B MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.6x 22.1x 44.3x BABA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.7x 14.3x 68.5x BABA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.8% +8.1% +21.4% DOCN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 40.3% 7.0% 23.3% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.7% 2.4% 8.2% MSFT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.2x — 0.5x MSFT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.8% -42.0% +135.3% DOCN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.2%/yr -10.9%/yr -0.2%/yr MSFT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.7% 40.4% 85.3% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 79/100 46/100 59/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

MSFTBABADOCN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisMSFTBABADOCN
Valuation 54 #18 of 38 71 #49 of 167 41 #23 of 38
Growth 77 #9 of 36 17 #127 of 153 83 #7 of 36
Profitability 97 #2 of 34 54 #71 of 153 85 #6 of 34
Financial Health 84 #7 of 38 59 #74 of 179 54 #18 of 38
Shareholder Returns 81 #5 of 22 30 #66 of 94 33 #15 of 22
Overall 79 46 59
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • BABA ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • DOCN ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodMSFTBABADOCNSPY
1 month +4.8%-10.1%-34.0% -1.0%
3 months +37.4%-11.2%-24.6% +2.9%
6 months +23.5%-26.6%-2.1% +6.4%
Year to date +8.5%-32.0%+93.7% +11.4%
1 year +0.8%-42.0%+135.3% +13.1%
3 years +58.7%+20.2%+319.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year +16.7%+6.3%+61.3% +21.5%
5 years +69.7%-43.9%-0.8% +67.7%
5 years, per year +11.2%-10.9%-0.2% +10.9%
10 years +779.2%-4.1%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +24.3%-0.4%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMSFTBABADOCNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.7%40.4%85.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.9%36.0%73.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.001.132.68 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.02-1.041.59 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.6%-64.2%-84.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.5%-44.6%-48.6% -2.5%
52-week high $543.45$179.97$181.29 $779.14
52-week low $352.83$94.81$37.94 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleMSFTBABADOCN
P/E now vs peer median 29.1xmedian 29.1x 22.0xmedian 17.5x 41.4xmedian 29.1x
P/S now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 4.5x 1.5xmedian 1.4x 9.7xmedian 4.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.4xmedian 21.5x —median 14.9x 30.9xmedian 21.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 58.2xmedian 17.3x 7.0xmedian 11.2x 608.5xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 3.9x 1.4xmedian 1.7x 10.5xmedian 3.9x
PEG now vs peer median 1.28median 0.33 -15.25median 0.42 0.32median 0.33

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsMSFTBABADOCN
Revenue $331.84B $150.46B $1.01B
Gross profit $225.47B $57.45B $578.58M
Operating income $155.24B $4.39B $149.67M
Net income $133.75B $10.08B $235.24M
Free cash flow $66.99B $33.19B $16.08M
R&D $35.56B $10.68B $188.73M
EPS (diluted) $17.95 $4.38 $1.86
Cash & equivalents $20.94B $21.06B $767.03M
Total debt $164.03B $83.76B $921.05M
Shares (diluted) 7.45B 2.40B 126.55M
Enterprise value $3.88T $46.21B $8.41B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricMSFTBABADOCN
P/E 29.1x 22.0x 41.4x
P/FCF 58.2x 7.0x 608.5x
P/Operating cash flow 21.3x 20.4x 31.6x
P/S 11.7x 1.5x 9.7x
P/B 8.8x 1.4x 10.5x
P/Tangible book 9.2x 1.4x 11.7x
EV/EBITDA 19.4x – 30.9x
EV/EBIT 24.9x 47.7x 66.4x
EV/Revenue 11.6x 1.4x 9.8x
EV/FCF 57.6x 6.3x 618.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.1x 18.5x 32.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.28 -15.25 0.32

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSFTBABADOCN
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.8% 8.1% 21.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 5.6% 15.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.3% 0.2% 15.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.6% 6.5% 14.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 20.8% -77.5% 14.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.6% -35.9% 80.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 31.3% -50.0% 86.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.7% -3.6% 147.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 31.6% -47.9% 47.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% -1.4% 129.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.4% -45.8% 2.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.8% -27.8% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -6.5% -8.5% -84.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.0% -0.6% -48.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSFTBABADOCN
Gross margin 67.9% 38.2% 57.2%
EBITDA margin 59.9% – 31.8%
Operating margin 46.8% 2.9% 14.8%
Pretax margin 50.0% 9.7% 17.3%
Net margin 40.3% 7.0% 23.3%
FCF margin 20.2% 22.1% 1.6%
Operating cash flow margin 55.1% 7.5% 30.7%
Return on equity 31.2% 6.2% 25.9%
Return on assets 18.4% 3.6% 8.3%
Return on invested capital 26.7% 2.4% 8.2%
Return on capital employed 27.8% 2.1% 7.2%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.1x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 3.7% 1.1% 9.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSFTBABADOCN
Debt / assets 5.3% 7.5% 29.5%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.1x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.2x – 0.5x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 0.6x 57.3x
Liabilities / assets 41.7% 43.6% 70.2%
Equity / assets 58.3% 56.4% 29.8%
Interest coverage 50.9x 3.2x 4.8x
Current ratio 1.2x 1.4x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.6x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.6x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 9.18 2.29 3.26

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSFTBABADOCN
Dividend yield 0.7% 1.1% –
Net buyback yield 0.5% – -9.1%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 1.1% -9.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.8% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 39.5% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 9.8% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.1% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusMSFTBABADOCN
Forward P/E 25.7xFY2027 14.3xFY2026 68.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.38FY2027 $6.97FY2026 $1.36FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.9%FY2027 +79.6%FY2026 -35.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.5% +23.0% +26.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $402.02BFY2027 $173.52BFY2026 $1.11BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.1%FY2027 +17.0%FY2026 +23.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.7% +14.6% +52.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSFTBABADOCN
Held by institutions 73.9% 10.1% 91.0%
Institutions holding 6,227 1,218 566
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.3% -5.4% -0.9%
Institutions buying 3,432 555 331
Institutions selling 2,425 421 187
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.32 1.77

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

MSFTBABADOCN
MSFT 1.00 0.14 0.15
BABA 0.14 1.00 0.15
DOCN 0.15 0.15 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSFT, BABA and DOCN?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Microsoft (MSFT) $3.96T, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) $232.58B, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) $10.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSFT, BABA and DOCN?

Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Microsoft (MSFT) 29.6x, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 22.1x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 44.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) is cheapest (Microsoft (MSFT) 25.7x, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 14.3x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 68.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Microsoft (MSFT) +17.8%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) +8.1%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +21.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (Microsoft (MSFT) 40.3%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 7.0%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 23.3%). On return on invested capital, Microsoft (MSFT) leads (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.7%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 2.4%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 8.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) returned the most: Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) -42.0%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +135.3%. Over five years, Microsoft (MSFT) compounded fastest (Microsoft (MSFT) +11.2%/yr, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) -10.9%/yr, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) -0.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Microsoft (MSFT) 0.01%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 0.00%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 0.00%. Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) and DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) 40.4%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 85.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MSFT, BABA and DOCN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Microsoft (MSFT) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.