MSFT vs. WMT: Microsoft vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT) 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

Microsoft (MSFT) is classified in the Information Technology sector (Software & Services), whereas Walmart (WMT) belongs to Consumer Staples (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile Item	MSFT	WMT
Name	Microsoft Corporation Common Stock	Walmart Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Software	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Systems Software	Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization	3,940.41 billion USD	998.90 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 13, 1986	August 25, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MSFT

WMT

GSPC

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT), 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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Total Return (1Y)	10.30%	23.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.53%	33.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.01%	21.72%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MSFT

WMT

GSPC

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.91%	26.96%
Beta (5Y)	1.03	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.15%	-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	22.95M	23.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MSFT and WMT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.18	0.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.28	1.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 34.22% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 22.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for MSFT.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

22.31%

Max: 33.48%
WMT: 22.31%
Q3: 22.31%
Median: 15.57%
Q1: 7.66%
Min: -2.27%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 41.17% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 3.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.00%

Max: 5.45%
Q3: 3.42%
WMT: 3.00%
Median: 2.44%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -0.06%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 49.76% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Walmart (WMT) at 3.45% operates around its industry’s norm.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.45%

Max: 6.81%
Q3: 5.49%
Median: 3.84%
WMT: 3.45%
Q1: 2.00%
Min: 0.97%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
ROE (TTM)	34.22%	22.31%
ROA (TTM)	14.41%	6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	41.17%	3.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	49.76%	3.45%
Gross Margin (TTM)	67.66%	24.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 17.79% and Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 31.60% and Walmart (WMT) at 13.28% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	17.79%	4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.12%	5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	31.60%	13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.86%	24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 1.23 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WMT.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max: 2.04
Q3: 1.45
Median: 1.17
Q1: 1.00
WMT: 0.77
Min: 0.69

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.28 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.72 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.72

Max: 2.59
Q3: 1.83
Median: 1.24
WMT: 0.72
Q1: 0.63
Min: 0.01

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	0.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.28	0.72
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.34	1.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Walmart (WMT) at 0.76% pays an industry-typical yield; Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.69% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.76%

Max: 2.90%
Q3: 1.72%
WMT: 0.76%
Median: 0.43%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and MSFT more so: Walmart (WMT) at 34.96% sits above the band, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 19.00% exceeds every peer in its group.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

34.96%

Max: 57.98%
WMT: 34.96%
Q3: 30.05%
Median: 11.72%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.69%	0.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	19.00%	34.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 27.69 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 45.48 sits in the richer quartile — WMT needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

45.48

Max: 50.75
WMT: 45.48
Q3: 33.64
Median: 22.19
Q1: 16.09
Min: 9.28

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 11.37 and Walmart (WMT) at 1.36 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max: 1.54
WMT: 1.36
Q3: 0.81
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.02

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 8.38 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 10.15 carries an above-peer premium to book — WMT is pricier on assets.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

10.15

WMT: 10.15
Max: 10.15
Q3: 6.27
Median: 3.70
Q1: 1.85
Min: 0.93

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Software & Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	MSFT	WMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	27.69	45.48
P/S Ratio (TTM)	11.37	1.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.38	10.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.08%	0.71%