Microsoft's latest fiscal year results highlighted how its major AI bets are shaping the company's financial picture. In the fourth quarter, the company recorded a $3.2 billion gain from its Anthropic stake, adding 33 cents to diluted earnings per share.
The result came after Microsoft's $5 billion investment in Anthropic, part of a broader strategic arrangement tied to Azure usage. While Microsoft does not regularly revalue this stake each quarter, the gain stood out as a notable boost in a period when AI partnerships continue to influence the company's growth story.
By contrast, Microsoft's OpenAI investment moved in the opposite direction during the same quarter. The company marked that position down by about $600 million, trimming diluted EPS by roughly 7 cents. Microsoft owns about 27% of OpenAI and also benefits from revenue-sharing, though those payments are not separately disclosed.
Even with that quarterly adjustment, Microsoft's overall performance remained strong. The company reported $90 billion in quarterly revenue and $35.8 billion in net income. For the full fiscal year, revenue reached $331.8 billion and net income totaled $133.7 billion.
On a yearly basis, Microsoft said its OpenAI investment still produced a $5 billion gain and contributed $0.67 to EPS. The contrast between the two AI investments shows how quickly the value of leading model developers can shift as the sector evolves. In the years ahead, these partnerships may help define the next phase of cloud and AI-driven business growth.
