MSFT, META, AAPL, AMZN: One Chart Stands Above the Others

This is the biggest week of earnings season with 4 Magnificent 7 stocks reporting as well as 150 S&P 500 companies. We’ll get earnings from every sector and industry.

This is the week which will tell us what is going on in the US economy for the second half of the year.

The Week of the Magnificent 7

All eyes will be on the Magnificent 7 stocks: Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple and Amazon.

Each has a great earnings surprise track record since 2022 and one could argue they are all Earnings All-Stars. 

But one company stands out. Not only does it have an excellent earnings surprise track record for the last 5 years, but it’s also growing earnings at a consistent double-digit rate.

Who is the best of these four Mag 7 stocks?

4 Magnificent 7 Stocks Reporting Earnings This Week: Who’s Best?

1. Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Apple has beat on earnings 9 quarters in a row. It’s been a great streak. However, the stock is lagging its Mag 7 peers this year on uncertainty about tariffs and AI. 

Apple is down 14.6% year-to-date. Yet, the shares are not cheap. Apple trades with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) of 30 with earnings expected to rise just 5.3% in 2025.

Will another Apple beat be a catalyst for the stock?

2. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)

Amazon.com has beat on earnings 10 quarters in a row. That’s impressive.

Shares of Amazon are up 6.1% year-to-date and have completely erased the Liberation Day losses. Earnings are expected to rise 13.6% this year and another 15.9% in 2026. Amazon trades with a forward P/E of 37, but it has never been “cheap.”

Is this a buying opportunity in Amazon?

3. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)

Meta Platforms has also beat on earnings 10 quarters in a row. It, too, is an earnings all-star.

Shares of Meta Platforms are up 22.6% year-to-date and are hanging out near their all-time highs. Earnings are expected to rise 7.8% this year and another 10.6% next year. Meta Platforms trades with a forward P/E of 27.7.

Meta Platforms is making a big bet on AI.

Is this a buying opportunity in Meta Platforms?

4. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

Microsoft is THE earnings all-star of the group with just one miss in the last 5 years, back in the dark times for technology, in 2022.

Microsoft shares are up 21.6% year-to-date and at all-time highs. It’s not cheap, with a forward P/E of 34. But earnings are expected to see double-digit earnings growth of 13.1% in 2025 and 11.8% in 2026.

It’s the only one of these four Mag 7 stocks that has the combination of earnings beats and strong earnings growth.

Is Microsoft too hot to handle?

[In full disclosure, Tracey owns shares of MSFT and AMZN in her personal portfolio.]

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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