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MSFT vs NOW

Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) are both filed with the SEC under Services-Prepackaged Software. MSFT is 26.2× NOW's size by market cap ($3.75T against $143.1B); NOW trades at the higher fiscal-year P/E (82.9× against 37.0×); MSFT reports the higher net margin (36.1% against 13.2%); NOW grew sales faster over three years (+22.4% against +12.4%); and over the past year MSFT returned +1.4% against NOW's -22.1%.

MSFTNOW
Last close$513.53$144.71
Market cap$3.75T$143.1B
P/E (FY)37.0×82.9×
P/S13.3×10.8×
EV/EBITDA55.0×
Gross margin68.8%77.5%
Operating margin45.6%13.7%
Net margin36.1%13.2%
Return on equity33.3%15.5%
Sales growth (3y)+12.4%+22.4%
EPS growth (3y)+12.2%+1.4%
Dividend yield0.6%
1-year return+1.4%-22.1%

Screener snapshot — prices as of 2026-08-28. Each side's last close is the most recent session the snapshot holds for that company, which can be an earlier one, and its 1-year return is measured to that close. Market caps struck on 2026-08-27. Last close, market cap and the 1-year return are price figures; every other row is computed over the company's latest filed fiscal year, and the two differ: MSFT FY2025 (ended 2025-06-30); NOW FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31). — not published for this company. A ratio goes unpublished for more than one reason: a component the calculation needs is not on file, the filing does not tag the line it is read from, or the calculation is not defined on the filed basis — EV/EBITDA is not printed on non-positive EBITDA, and return on equity is not computed on a zero or negative equity base.

Who holds them, and who has traded them

MSFTNOW
Institutional holders (13F)6,1272,185
Insider buyers − sellers (180d)-4-5
Congressional trades disclosed (180d)344
Executive-branch officials on file — trades disclosed (180d)2612

Counts only. The congressional figures count transactions dated in the trailing 180 days and disclosed in STOCK Act periodic transaction reports; amounts are filed as ranges and are never summed. The executive-branch figures count the same window of transactions, and they are scoped to one roster. The officials OGE posts for direct download. Insider buyers − sellers counts distinct people filing open-market Form 4 purchases minus distinct people filing open-market sales over the trailing 180 days, capped at ±5.

MSFT vs NOW: common questions

Is MSFT bigger than NOW?
MSFT carries the larger market cap — $3.75T against $143.1B, both struck on 2026-08-27.
Which trades at a higher P/E, MSFT or NOW?
NOW, at a fiscal-year 82.9× against 37.0× for MSFT. Both are price ÷ latest full-year diluted earnings per share, not a trailing-twelve-month P/E.
How have MSFT and NOW performed over the past year?
MSFT returned +1.4% and NOW -22.1%, measured on the trailing calendar year to the last close.
How many institutions hold MSFT and NOW?
6,127 13F filers report a position in MSFT and 2,185 in NOW, on the latest quarter in the panel.
Are MSFT and NOW in the same industry?
Both are filed with the SEC under Services-Prepackaged Software, which is the classification this pairing is built on.