MSFT vs NVDA vs QCOM Stock Comparison

Microsoft, Nvidia and Qualcomm 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
2 wins
NVDA Nvidia Corp
$210.96 -6.5% 1M +15.8% 1Y
Market cap
$5.23T
P/E
27.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$302.97B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Design Technology
6 wins
QCOM Qualcomm Inc/De
$175.91 -10.8% 1M +3.5% 1Y
Market cap
$189.99B
P/E
20.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$44.07B
Div. yield
0.02%
Semiconductor Design Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Nvidia leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Nvidia 6, Qualcomm 4, Microsoft 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSFTNVDAQCOMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.96T $5.23T $189.99B NVDA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.6x 27.1x 20.5x QCOM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.7x 24.1x 16.3x QCOM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.8% +83.4% +1.9% NVDA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 40.3% 63.7% 21.0% NVDA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.7% 71.1% 29.1% NVDA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.2x -0.2x -0.5x QCOM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.02% QCOM
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.8% +15.8% +3.5% NVDA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.2%/yr +56.2%/yr +6.0%/yr NVDA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.7% 37.8% 54.0% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 79/100 73/100 65/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

MSFTNVDAQCOM

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

AxisMSFTNVDAQCOM
Valuation 54 #18 of 38 56 #42 of 95 81 #19 of 95
Growth 77 #9 of 36 97 #4 of 93 34 #62 of 93
Profitability 97 #2 of 34 99 #2 of 91 88 #12 of 91
Financial Health 84 #7 of 38 65 #36 of 102 43 #59 of 102
Shareholder Returns 81 #5 of 22 47 #41 of 76 80 #16 of 76
Overall 79 73 65
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • NVDA ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • QCOM ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSFTNVDAQCOMSPY
1 month +4.8%-6.5%-10.8% -1.0%
3 months +37.4%+2.0%+5.4% +2.9%
6 months +23.5%+1.3%+18.2% +6.4%
Year to date +8.5%+13.1%+2.8% +11.4%
1 year +0.8%+15.8%+3.5% +13.1%
3 years +58.7%+383.2%+60.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +16.7%+69.1%+17.2% +21.5%
5 years +69.7%+828.3%+33.6% +67.7%
5 years, per year +11.2%+56.2%+6.0% +10.9%
10 years +779.2%+12,390.2%+159.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +24.3%+62.1%+10.0% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMSFTNVDAQCOMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.7%37.8%54.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.9%36.6%52.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.001.942.11 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.020.420.06 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.6%-66.4%-45.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.5%-11.8%-29.9% -2.5%
52-week high $543.45$239.24$251.02 $779.14
52-week low $352.83$165.17$124.07 $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.

MultipleMSFTNVDAQCOM
P/E now vs peer median 29.1xmedian 29.1x 26.5xmedian 41.5x 20.1xmedian 41.5x
P/S now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 4.5x 16.8xmedian 6.9x 4.2xmedian 6.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.4xmedian 21.5x 25.1xmedian 27.3x 15.3xmedian 27.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 58.2xmedian 17.3x 40.0xmedian 35.6x 17.9xmedian 35.6x
P/B now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 3.9x 22.2xmedian 4.2x 6.7xmedian 4.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.28median 0.33 0.16median 2.31 4.83median 2.31

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 monthsMSFTNVDAQCOM
Revenue $331.84B $302.97B $44.07B
Gross profit $225.47B $226.24B $23.90B
Operating income $155.24B $197.58B $10.22B
Net income $133.75B $192.88B $9.26B
Free cash flow $66.99B $127.01B $10.42B
R&D $35.56B $23.59B $9.89B
EPS (diluted) $17.95 $7.94 $8.66
Cash & equivalents $20.94B $22.44B $4.53B
Total debt $164.03B $33.37B $2.49B
Shares (diluted) 7.45B 24.29B 1.07B
Enterprise value $3.88T $5.00T $149.91B

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
MetricMSFTNVDAQCOM
P/E 29.1x 26.5x 20.1x
P/FCF 58.2x 40.0x 17.9x
P/Operating cash flow 21.3x 37.8x 15.0x
P/S 11.7x 16.8x 4.2x
P/B 8.8x 22.2x 6.7x
P/Tangible book 9.2x 22.5x 7.1x
EV/EBITDA 19.4x 25.1x 15.3x
EV/EBIT 24.9x 25.6x 17.6x
EV/Revenue 11.6x 16.7x 4.1x
EV/FCF 57.6x 39.8x 17.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.1x 37.6x 14.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.28 0.16 4.83

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSFTNVDAQCOM
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.8% 83.4% 1.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 110.1% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.3% 96.0% -0.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.6% 120.4% 3.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 20.8% 105.9% -15.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.6% 163.5% 0.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 31.3% 122.7% -20.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.7% 165.3% 2.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 31.6% 125.0% -17.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 167.9% 4.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.4% 74.4% -2.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.8% 124.3% 12.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -6.5% 76.3% -10.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 130.9% 14.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSFTNVDAQCOM
Gross margin 67.9% 74.7% 54.2%
EBITDA margin 59.9% 66.4% 26.8%
Operating margin 46.8% 65.2% 23.2%
Pretax margin 50.0% 75.8% 25.4%
Net margin 40.3% 63.7% 21.0%
FCF margin 20.2% 41.9% 23.6%
Operating cash flow margin 55.1% 44.3% 28.1%
Return on equity 31.2% 90.9% 33.7%
Return on assets 18.4% 66.5% 16.2%
Return on invested capital 26.7% 71.1% 29.1%
Return on capital employed 27.8% 80.0% 22.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.0x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 0.7x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 3.7% 2.4% 7.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSFTNVDAQCOM
Debt / assets 5.3% 10.4% 4.3%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.1x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.2x -0.2x -0.5x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 0.3x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 41.7% 28.5% 51.8%
Equity / assets 58.3% 71.5% 48.2%
Interest coverage 50.9x – 14.8x
Current ratio 1.2x 4.6x 2.0x
Quick ratio 0.9x 3.0x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.5x 1.5x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 9.18 37.93 6.02

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSFTNVDAQCOM
Dividend yield 0.7% 0.2% 2.1%
Net buyback yield 0.5% 1.1% 4.7%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 1.3% 6.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.8% – 41.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 39.5% – 36.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 9.8% – 0.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.1% – 3.9%

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.

ConsensusMSFTNVDAQCOM
Forward P/E 25.7xFY2027 24.1xFY2026 16.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.38FY2027 $8.75FY2026 $10.79FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.9%FY2027 +83.4%FY2026 -10.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.5% +91.8% -2.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $402.02BFY2027 $383.27BFY2026 $45.55BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.1%FY2027 +77.5%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.7% +85.7% -5.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSFTNVDAQCOM
Held by institutions 73.9% 69.0% 79.7%
Institutions holding 6,227 5,922 3,029
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.3% +4.0% +2.8%
Institutions buying 3,432 3,278 1,416
Institutions selling 2,425 2,313 1,332
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.42 1.06

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.

MSFTNVDAQCOM
MSFT 1.00 0.25 0.04
NVDA 0.25 1.00 0.18
QCOM 0.04 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSFT, NVDA and QCOM?

Nvidia (NVDA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Microsoft (MSFT) $3.96T, Nvidia (NVDA) $5.23T, Qualcomm (QCOM) $189.99B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSFT, NVDA and QCOM?

Qualcomm (QCOM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Microsoft (MSFT) 29.6x, Nvidia (NVDA) 27.1x, Qualcomm (QCOM) 20.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Qualcomm (QCOM) is cheapest (Microsoft (MSFT) 25.7x, Nvidia (NVDA) 24.1x, Qualcomm (QCOM) 16.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Nvidia (NVDA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Microsoft (MSFT) +17.8%, Nvidia (NVDA) +83.4%, Qualcomm (QCOM) +1.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nvidia (NVDA) has the highest net margin (Microsoft (MSFT) 40.3%, Nvidia (NVDA) 63.7%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 21.0%). On return on invested capital, Nvidia (NVDA) leads (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.7%, Nvidia (NVDA) 71.1%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 29.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Nvidia (NVDA) returned the most: Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%, Nvidia (NVDA) +15.8%, Qualcomm (QCOM) +3.5%. Over five years, Nvidia (NVDA) compounded fastest (Microsoft (MSFT) +11.2%/yr, Nvidia (NVDA) +56.2%/yr, Qualcomm (QCOM) +6.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Qualcomm (QCOM) has the highest dividend yield: Microsoft (MSFT) 0.01%, Nvidia (NVDA) 0.00%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 0.02%. Nvidia (NVDA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%, Nvidia (NVDA) 37.8%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 54.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MSFT, NVDA and QCOM?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Nvidia (NVDA) leads on 6. 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.