UBS Identifies Four Software Stocks Poised for Growth Amid Sector Slump
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy MSFT?
Source: CNBC
- Market Selectivity: UBS analysts highlight that despite the slump in software stocks in 2026 due to AI disruption fears, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Autodesk, and HubSpot are expected to thrive, indicating selective opportunities in the market.
- International Revenue Potential: These software companies not only excel in the U.S. market but also benefit from a weaker dollar, making them significant sources of international earnings and enhancing their competitiveness in the global economy.
- Valuation Advantages: UBS notes that all four recommended stocks have price-to-earnings ratios below their historical averages, while the entire software group is oversold by 6.1 standard deviations, indicating potential for a rebound.
- Positive Earnings Revisions: The quartet of recommended stocks has all received positive earnings revisions and appears decoupled from AI credit spreads, demonstrating resilience amid market volatility, particularly with Oracle's stable credit default swap rate.
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Analyst Views on MSFT
Wall Street analysts forecast MSFT stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
32 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 392.740
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 392.740
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company that develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. Its Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services, spanning a variety of devices and platforms. It comprises Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services; Microsoft 365 Consumer products and cloud services; LinkedIn, and Dynamics products and cloud services. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of its public, private, and hybrid server products and cloud services. It comprises server products and cloud services, including Azure, and enterprise and partner services, including Enterprise Support Services. Its More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows and Devices, including Windows OEM licensing; Gaming, including Xbox hardware and Xbox content; Search and news advertising, comprising Bing and Copilot, Microsoft News, and Microsoft Edge.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Significant Cloud Growth: In Q2 of fiscal 2026, Microsoft reported a 16.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $81.3 billion, with cloud services contributing $51.5 billion, up 26%, indicating strong market demand and sustained growth potential.
- Increased Quantum Investment: Microsoft is heavily investing in its quantum computing ecosystem, introducing the Majorana 1 quantum processor aimed at enhancing computational stability and reducing errors, laying the groundwork for future commercialization.
- Data Center Expansion: The company added nearly 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in Q2 to address the challenge of Azure service demand exceeding supply, demonstrating its ongoing investment and strategic positioning in cloud infrastructure.
- Rapid AI Application Adoption: Microsoft’s Copilot user base surged over 160% year-over-year to 15 million paid users, showcasing its ability to successfully leverage AI in enterprise workflows, further driving revenue growth.
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Microsoft's 18% Stock Decline: Analyzing the Causes
- Stock Performance: Microsoft's stock has risen approximately 660% over the past decade, with a compounded annual growth rate exceeding 22%, significantly outpacing the S&P 500's long-term average of 10%, yet it has fallen 18% this year, indicating a loss of market confidence.
- AI Investment Impact: While the overall market has been bearish on tech stocks, Microsoft's decline is more pronounced than other tech giants, as evidenced by the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF's modest 7% drop, suggesting that Microsoft's challenges are more complex.
- Valuation and Growth: At the start of 2023, Microsoft's price-to-earnings ratio was around 34, now reduced to 25; although AI has provided some growth, its December quarter growth rate was only 17%, dropping to 15% when excluding foreign exchange, indicating insufficient growth momentum.
- Long-term Investment Potential: Despite the current stock decline, Microsoft boasts a diversified business portfolio, including gaming, office software, and devices, and has amassed over $119 billion in profit over the past 12 months, indicating strong long-term investment value.
See More
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- Stock Decline Reasons: Microsoft's stock has fallen 18% since the beginning of the year, primarily due to high valuations and concerns over AI spending growth, despite its strong financial health with a 660% increase over the past decade.
- Market Performance Comparison: Compared to other tech giants, Microsoft's decline is significant, as the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF has only dropped 7%, indicating a broader bearish sentiment in the tech sector.
- AI Product Performance: Microsoft's Copilot AI has underperformed in the market, failing to impress compared to other popular chatbots, leading investors to question its future growth potential, which has negatively impacted the stock price.
- Investment Opportunity Assessment: Although the stock was previously overvalued, Microsoft's current P/E ratio has dropped to 25, and with $119 billion in profits, it may present a favorable opportunity for investors to reassess and potentially increase their holdings.
See More
Microsoft's Quantum Computing Strategy and AI Growth
- Quantum Computing Investment: Microsoft is heavily investing in its quantum computing ecosystem, with the introduction of the Majorana 1 processor in 2025 utilizing topological qubits aimed at enhancing computational stability and reducing errors, thereby advancing the commercialization of quantum computing.
- Strong Financial Performance: In Q2 of fiscal 2026, Microsoft reported a 16.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $81.3 billion, with cloud services revenue reaching $51.5 billion, up 26%, reflecting robust demand for AI-related workloads.
- Data Center Expansion: Microsoft added nearly 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in Q2 and invested $37.5 billion, two-thirds of which was allocated to short-lived AI assets, indicating proactive measures to address data center capacity constraints.
- AI Application Growth: The number of paid Microsoft 365 Copilot users reached 15 million, up over 160% year-over-year, demonstrating the rapid adoption of AI applications in enterprise workflows, further driving revenue growth for the company.
See More
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- Investor Concerns Rise: A Bank of America survey reveals that 23% of investment-grade credit investors cite the 'threat of an AI bubble' as their top concern, a significant increase from 9% in December 2025, indicating declining confidence in AI stocks.
- Rising Borrowing Risks: The survey highlights worries among credit investors about AI companies borrowing excessively, which could lead to increased debt risk if companies exceed their repayment capabilities, potentially impacting credit ratings and borrowing costs.
- Massive Investments by Giants: The four largest AI hyperscalers—Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon—are projected to spend around $700 billion on AI-related capital expenditures by 2026, and if these investments do not yield substantial returns, it could negatively affect shareholders and bondholders.
- Adjusting Investment Strategies: To mitigate risks associated with an AI bubble, investors might consider reallocating portions of their portfolios towards value stocks or small-cap ETFs, which tend to perform more steadily in volatile markets and reduce reliance on AI stocks.
See More
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- Money Flow Trends: In early trading, negative money flows were observed in the Magnificent Seven stocks, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Tesla, indicating a lack of short-term confidence in these stocks, which may lead investors to reassess their positions.
- ETF Performance Weakness: The SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust also showed negative money flows, reflecting a general market sentiment downturn, which could lead investors to adopt a cautious stance on tech stocks, impacting the liquidity and pricing of related ETFs.
- Bitcoin Market Volatility: Bitcoin initially dropped following news of the Iran war but rebounded on the announcement of Ayatollah Khamenei's death, highlighting the cryptocurrency market's sensitivity to geopolitical events, prompting investors to monitor how such events influence market sentiment.
- Investment Strategy Recommendations: Investors are advised to maintain long-term quality positions while tactically adding to their investments based on market signals to navigate current uncertainties, ensuring the stability and growth potential of their portfolios.
See More
Microsoft's Long-Term Potential in Quantum Computing
- Significant Cloud Growth: In Q2 of fiscal 2026, Microsoft reported a 16.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $81.3 billion, with cloud services contributing $51.5 billion, up 26%, indicating strong market demand and sustained growth potential.
- Increased Quantum Investment: Microsoft is heavily investing in its quantum computing ecosystem, introducing the Majorana 1 quantum processor aimed at enhancing computational stability and reducing errors, laying the groundwork for future commercialization.
- Data Center Expansion: The company added nearly 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in Q2 to address the challenge of Azure service demand exceeding supply, demonstrating its ongoing investment and strategic positioning in cloud infrastructure.
- Rapid AI Application Adoption: Microsoft’s Copilot user base surged over 160% year-over-year to 15 million paid users, showcasing its ability to successfully leverage AI in enterprise workflows, further driving revenue growth.
See More
Microsoft's 18% Stock Decline: Analyzing the Causes
- Stock Performance: Microsoft's stock has risen approximately 660% over the past decade, with a compounded annual growth rate exceeding 22%, significantly outpacing the S&P 500's long-term average of 10%, yet it has fallen 18% this year, indicating a loss of market confidence.
- AI Investment Impact: While the overall market has been bearish on tech stocks, Microsoft's decline is more pronounced than other tech giants, as evidenced by the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF's modest 7% drop, suggesting that Microsoft's challenges are more complex.
- Valuation and Growth: At the start of 2023, Microsoft's price-to-earnings ratio was around 34, now reduced to 25; although AI has provided some growth, its December quarter growth rate was only 17%, dropping to 15% when excluding foreign exchange, indicating insufficient growth momentum.
- Long-term Investment Potential: Despite the current stock decline, Microsoft boasts a diversified business portfolio, including gaming, office software, and devices, and has amassed over $119 billion in profit over the past 12 months, indicating strong long-term investment value.
See More
Microsoft Stock Declines 18% Amid AI Concerns
- Stock Decline Reasons: Microsoft's stock has fallen 18% since the beginning of the year, primarily due to high valuations and concerns over AI spending growth, despite its strong financial health with a 660% increase over the past decade.
- Market Performance Comparison: Compared to other tech giants, Microsoft's decline is significant, as the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF has only dropped 7%, indicating a broader bearish sentiment in the tech sector.
- AI Product Performance: Microsoft's Copilot AI has underperformed in the market, failing to impress compared to other popular chatbots, leading investors to question its future growth potential, which has negatively impacted the stock price.
- Investment Opportunity Assessment: Although the stock was previously overvalued, Microsoft's current P/E ratio has dropped to 25, and with $119 billion in profits, it may present a favorable opportunity for investors to reassess and potentially increase their holdings.
See More
Microsoft's Quantum Computing Strategy and AI Growth
- Quantum Computing Investment: Microsoft is heavily investing in its quantum computing ecosystem, with the introduction of the Majorana 1 processor in 2025 utilizing topological qubits aimed at enhancing computational stability and reducing errors, thereby advancing the commercialization of quantum computing.
- Strong Financial Performance: In Q2 of fiscal 2026, Microsoft reported a 16.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $81.3 billion, with cloud services revenue reaching $51.5 billion, up 26%, reflecting robust demand for AI-related workloads.
- Data Center Expansion: Microsoft added nearly 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in Q2 and invested $37.5 billion, two-thirds of which was allocated to short-lived AI assets, indicating proactive measures to address data center capacity constraints.
- AI Application Growth: The number of paid Microsoft 365 Copilot users reached 15 million, up over 160% year-over-year, demonstrating the rapid adoption of AI applications in enterprise workflows, further driving revenue growth for the company.
See More
Concerns Over AI Stock Bubble Intensify
- Investor Concerns Rise: A Bank of America survey reveals that 23% of investment-grade credit investors cite the 'threat of an AI bubble' as their top concern, a significant increase from 9% in December 2025, indicating declining confidence in AI stocks.
- Rising Borrowing Risks: The survey highlights worries among credit investors about AI companies borrowing excessively, which could lead to increased debt risk if companies exceed their repayment capabilities, potentially impacting credit ratings and borrowing costs.
- Massive Investments by Giants: The four largest AI hyperscalers—Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon—are projected to spend around $700 billion on AI-related capital expenditures by 2026, and if these investments do not yield substantial returns, it could negatively affect shareholders and bondholders.
- Adjusting Investment Strategies: To mitigate risks associated with an AI bubble, investors might consider reallocating portions of their portfolios towards value stocks or small-cap ETFs, which tend to perform more steadily in volatile markets and reduce reliance on AI stocks.
See More
Analysis of Money Flows in Magnificent Seven Stocks
- Money Flow Trends: In early trading, negative money flows were observed in the Magnificent Seven stocks, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Tesla, indicating a lack of short-term confidence in these stocks, which may lead investors to reassess their positions.
- ETF Performance Weakness: The SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust also showed negative money flows, reflecting a general market sentiment downturn, which could lead investors to adopt a cautious stance on tech stocks, impacting the liquidity and pricing of related ETFs.
- Bitcoin Market Volatility: Bitcoin initially dropped following news of the Iran war but rebounded on the announcement of Ayatollah Khamenei's death, highlighting the cryptocurrency market's sensitivity to geopolitical events, prompting investors to monitor how such events influence market sentiment.
- Investment Strategy Recommendations: Investors are advised to maintain long-term quality positions while tactically adding to their investments based on market signals to navigate current uncertainties, ensuring the stability and growth potential of their portfolios.
See More
