FTNT vs. MSFT: Fortinet vs. Microsoft Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT) are both classified in the Systems Software sub-industry within the broader Software industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Profile Item	FTNT	MSFT
Name	Fortinet, Inc.	Microsoft Corporation Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Systems Software	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	87.31 billion USD	3,940.41 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	November 18, 2009	March 13, 1986
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FTNT

MSFT

GSPC

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Total Return (1Y)	49.91%	10.30%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	35.15%	15.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.92%	11.01%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FTNT

MSFT

GSPC

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	49.03%	33.91%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	1.03
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-38.98%	-37.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.68M	22.95M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FTNT and MSFT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.93	0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.37	0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Fortinet (FTNT) at 153.08% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Microsoft (MSFT) at 34.22% also sits in the top quartile.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

153.08%

FTNT: 153.08%
Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

34.22%

Max: 53.85%
MSFT: 34.22%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Fortinet (FTNT) at 28.96% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 41.17% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

28.96%

Max: 41.17%
FTNT: 28.96%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

41.17%

MSFT: 41.17%
Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 49.76% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Fortinet (FTNT) at 33.82% also operates in the top quartile.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

33.82%

Max: 46.89%
FTNT: 33.82%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

49.76%

MSFT: 49.76%
Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
ROE (TTM)	153.08%	34.22%
ROA (TTM)	15.22%	14.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	28.96%	41.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	33.82%	49.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)	79.75%	67.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 14.17% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 17.79% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 7.08% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 31.60% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	14.17%	17.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.46%	16.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.08%	31.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	31.68%	22.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 1.40 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 1.23 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

1.40

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
FTNT: 1.40
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

1.23

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
MSFT: 1.23
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 0.25 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.28 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

0.25

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
FTNT: 0.25
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.28

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
MSFT: 0.28
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.40	1.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.25	0.28
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.54	0.34

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Fortinet (FTNT) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Microsoft (MSFT) reports a yield of 0.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

FTNT: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.69%

MSFT: 0.69%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Fortinet (FTNT) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Microsoft (MSFT) reports a payout of 19.00%, ranking against industry peers normally.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

FTNT: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

19.00%

MSFT: 19.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	19.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 38.84 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 27.69 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

38.84

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
FTNT: 38.84
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

27.69

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
MSFT: 27.69
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Fortinet (FTNT) at 11.08 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 11.37 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

11.08

Max: 17.91
FTNT: 11.08
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

11.37

Max: 17.91
MSFT: 11.37
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 8.38 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Fortinet (FTNT) at 38.85 prices above its benchmark range — FTNT looks rich relative to book.

FTNT

Software & Services industry group

38.85

FTNT: 38.85
Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

8.38

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
MSFT: 8.38
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Fortinet (FTNT) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Fortinet (FTNT) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	FTNT	MSFT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	38.84	27.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	11.08	11.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	38.85	8.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.85%	0.08%