MSFT vs. XOM: Microsoft vs. ExxonMobil Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM) 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 ExxonMobil (XOM) belongs to Energy (Energy) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Profile Item	MSFT	XOM
Name	Microsoft Corporation Common Stock	ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Energy
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Energy
GICS Industry	Software	Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
GICS Sub-Industry	Systems Software	Integrated Oil & Gas
Market Capitalization	3,940.41 billion USD	676.62 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	March 13, 1986	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MSFT

XOM

GSPC

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM), 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 Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Total Return (1Y)	10.30%	44.48%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.53%	20.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	11.01%	24.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MSFT

XOM

GSPC

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM), 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 Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.91%	27.17%
Beta (5Y)	1.03	0.19
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-37.15%	-20.51%
Avg. Volume (3M)	22.95M	13.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MSFT and XOM 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 ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.18	1.48
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.28	2.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 34.22% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ExxonMobil (XOM) at 15.53% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

15.53%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 24.79%
XOM: 15.53%
Median: 12.85%
Q1: 2.03%
Min: -29.09%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 41.17% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of ExxonMobil (XOM) at 10.46%, 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

10.46%

Max: 56.92%
Q3: 22.92%
XOM: 10.46%
Median: 10.10%
Q1: 0.07%
Min: -27.38%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 49.76% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while ExxonMobil (XOM) at 16.98% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

16.98%

Max: 71.31%
Q3: 33.75%
Median: 18.73%
XOM: 16.98%
Q1: 6.94%
Min: -24.52%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
ROE (TTM)	34.22%	15.53%
ROA (TTM)	14.41%	6.75%
Net Margin (TTM)	41.17%	10.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)	49.76%	16.98%
Gross Margin (TTM)	67.66%	29.81%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 17.79% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at -4.52% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 31.60% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at -14.54% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	17.79%	-4.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.12%	-6.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	31.60%	-14.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.86%	-20.35%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 1.23 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.19 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.19

Max: 3.64
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.41
XOM: 1.19
Q1: 0.88
Min: 0.24

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 0.13 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.28 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

0.13

Max: 1.75
Q3: 0.93
Median: 0.54
Q1: 0.30
XOM: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.23	1.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.28	0.13
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.34	0.28

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.49% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

2.49%

Max: 8.57%
Q3: 3.58%
XOM: 2.49%
Median: 1.71%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 42.39% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 19.00% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

42.39%

Max: 133.24%
Q3: 53.31%
XOM: 42.39%
Median: 25.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.69%	2.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	19.00%	42.39%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Microsoft (MSFT) at 27.69 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 17.06 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

17.06

Max: 39.54
Q3: 21.72
XOM: 17.06
Median: 12.19
Q1: 7.71
Min: 2.99

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.74 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 11.37 sits in the pricier quartile — MSFT costs more per dollar of sales.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.74

Max: 5.40
Q3: 2.85
XOM: 1.74
Median: 1.69
Q1: 0.88
Min: 0.00

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy 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 ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.55 carries an above-peer premium to book — XOM 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

XOM

Energy industry group

2.55

Max: 4.21
XOM: 2.55
Q3: 2.38
Median: 1.51
Q1: 1.08
Min: 0.01

Microsoft (MSFT) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Software & Services and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Microsoft (MSFT) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	MSFT	XOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	27.69	17.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	11.37	1.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.38	2.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.08%	4.19%