(Reuters) – Microsoft reported quarterly results on Tuesday that beat Wall Street expectations, as new artificial intelligence (AI) features helped attract consumers to cloud computing services. ) of the group.
In post-closing stock trading, Microsoft shares fell 1% before rebounding.
The group recorded turnover over the October-December period up 18% to $62 billion, compared to a consensus of $61.12 billion according to LSEG data.
Regarding the “cloud” division, which includes the Azure platform, quarterly turnover increased by 20% to reach $25.9 billion.
For Azure alone, revenue increased by 30% over the October-December period, while analysts on average expected an increase of 27.7% according to research firm Visible Alpha. Microsoft does not communicate any amount for Azure.
Investors are closely watching Azure’s revenue to determine the scale of sales stemming from the tens of billions of dollars that Microsoft will invest this year in data centers dedicated to AI.
At the start of the year, in the wake of last year, Microsoft is making gains on Wall Street. It briefly became the highest market valuation ahead of Apple, as investors welcomed its strategic shift into AI.
Microsoft reported fourth-quarter net income of $2.93 per share, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 per share.
(Reporting Yuvraj Malik in Bangalore, Anna Tong and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; French version Jean Terzian)
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