After the close: Microsoft, Alphabet and ServiceNow earnings expectations

Microsoft and Alphabet are due to report after the close today, with investors looking for strong revenue growth and indications that artificial intelligence outlays are feeding through into better business results.

Microsoft (MSFT) is seen earning $4.72 per share, a 14.3% rise from the $4.13 posted a year earlier. Revenue of $90.62 billion is forecast, 16.7% above the $77.67 billion from a year ago. Azure growth, capital spending and the margin outlook are expected to be the main focal points.

Alphabet (GOOGL/GOOG) is projected to post $3.03 per share, a 5.6% gain over the $2.87 it earned last year. Its revenue forecast comes in at $127.91 billion, 25.0% higher than $102.35 billion in the year-ago period. The focus will be on Google Cloud growth, how the advertising business performs and the impact of rising AI investment on free cash flow.

The headline figures will serve as the first hurdle. Whether an initial move gains traction may hinge on guidance and on management’s remarks about AI spending and the returns it generates.

Microsoft technical preview: moving averages outline the risk heading into the report.

Microsoft is trading between two important hourly moving averages as earnings approach, based on recent price action. Sellers have shown up at the 100-hour moving average of $532.58, while the 200-hour moving average of $521.93 has acted as support. With the stock near $527, those levels mark the near-term fight between buyers and sellers.

A push above $532.58 that is sustained would tilt the bias more firmly in favor of buyers. Upside targets then sit at $546, the October 29, 2025 high, followed by the October 13 high near $550. Beyond those levels, attention shifts to the all-time high at $555.45 set in July 2025. Holding above that record would leave room for continued upside momentum.

A break below $521.93 that holds would hand more control to sellers. The downside target that follows is the $513.50–$517.60 swing area from August and early September. Moving under that region would expose the September lows between $486 and $492.23.

The two moving averages are the immediate gauges to watch. Earnings may set off the breakout, but whether the price can stay beyond those levels is what will separate a genuine move from a failed one.

Where Alphabet stands technically: the bears keep control as long as the shares remain below the main moving averages.

Alphabet’s stock has taken a more bearish tone in the run-up to earnings. After climbing to $359.51 earlier this month and moving back above the 100-day moving average, which is now $347.12, the shares reversed lower. That decline has left the price below both hourly moving averages and below the 200-day moving average, currently $341.20.

With the stock near $325.22, buyers have a series of obstacles to clear: the 100-hour moving average at $338.72, the 200-day moving average at $341.20 and the 100-day moving average at $347.18. Every one of those averages is sloping lower, which reinforces the bearish setup.

Those levels offer a set of barometers for any recovery attempt. Getting above them and holding would give buyers a bullish foothold. To reach the highest one, the 100-day moving average at $347.18, the stock would need to rally about 6.8% from current prices, which would put the earlier October high at $359.51 back in view.

For the bears, the first reference is Monday's low at $316.60. That low halted just above the $311.42–$314.90 swing region. A slide through $316.60 would bring that support zone back into play, and a sustained move under the swing area would tighten sellers' control while bringing the February and early March swing lows near $294 into reach.

ServiceNow (NOW) is also scheduled to report after the close. The company is expected to post adjusted earnings of $1.02 per share, a 6.3% increase from $0.96 a year ago. Revenue is projected at $4.09 billion, roughly 20% above $3.41 billion. Subscription growth, appetite for AI tools and guidance from management will help determine how the market responds.