After a record performance in its third quarter and a share price spike to an all-time high last week, software technology firm Microsoft will be feeling the pressure ahead of publishing its fourth quarter results on Thursday.
The company is expected to report revenue of $29.17bn (£22.1bn) at a 25 per cent year-on-year increase, according to consumer estimates collated by Zacks Investment Research. Earnings per share are forecast at $1.07 for the quarter, up 9 per cent in the same period.
If Microsoft meets those estimates, the company will have secured its fastest quarterly sales growth rate in four years. In its last report for its third quarter, Microsofts earnings per share and revenue soared 36 per cent and 16 per cent respectively, beating analyst expectations.
The tech giants share price sat at its highest numbers ever as markets closed on Friday, weighing in at $105.43.
Read more: Microsoft unveils its 'iPad-killer', the smallest and lightest Surface yet
Looking ahead to Thursday, investors will be watching to see if Microsofts winning enterprise cloud service Azure has continued its strong growth rate in the face of a market dominated by Amazons offering. In the companys most recent report, Azure posted revenue growth of 93 per cent year-on-year, while Amazon Web Services only reached 49 per cent.
The numbers of its integrated business and professional-focused social network Linkedin could also be a sign of Microsofts overall performance, after the site posted a revenue increase of 37 per cent in the third quarter.
Microsofts share price has nearly quadrupled in value since 2011, powered by a pivot towards a cloud-first, mobile approach. Top boss Satya Nadella believes innovation is the key.
Read more: Microsoft buys Github for $7.5bn
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