For the quarter ended December 2024, Microsoft (MSFT) reported revenue of $69.63 billion, up 12.3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $3.23, compared to $2.93 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +1.35% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $68.7 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $3.11, the EPS surprise was +3.86%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Microsoft performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: