Key Highlights

  • Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) trades at USD 278.99, down 0.30%, with a market cap of USD 3,401.17 billion and a P/E of 14.57, while trailing profit stands at USD 132.17 billion on the highest Net Income screen, captured November 4, 2026.
  • NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) sits at USD 202.06, down 1.26%, with a market cap of USD 4,869.65 billion, a P/E of 25.54 and trailing profit of USD 120.07 billion on the same screen.
  • Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is at USD 338.32, down 1.83%, with a market cap of USD 4,937.50 billion, USD 112.01 billion of trailing profit and a P/E of 38.78 on the same screen.
  • Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is at USD 606.73, down 1.34%, with a market cap of USD 1,550.95 billion, USD 60.46 billion of trailing profit and a P/E of 20.69 on the same screen.

1. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) booked GAAP net income of USD 36.6 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, up 32%, on Revenue of USD 92.3 billion. MSFT appears here because the screen ranks companies by after-tax profit over the trailing year, a measure that tilts toward size and offers nothing on growth or valuation. Diluted Earnings per Share were USD 4.92, and Operating Income reached USD 45.9 billion, up 21%. Azure revenue climbed 48%, and Microsoft Cloud revenue hit USD 63.9 billion, up 30%. Commercial remaining performance obligation, the value of signed work still to be recognized as revenue, rose 73% to USD 677 billion. Non-GAAP net income was USD 36.4 billion, up 18%, because the adjusted measure leaves out the OpenAI Investment effect, which added USD 207 million to GAAP profit. The risk is concentration: profit depends on cloud and AI Demand holding up, and a trailing profit figure gives no hint of what investors are paying for it.

2. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) reported third quarter 2026 net income of USD 26.2 billion, down about 25%, even though revenue grew 25% to USD 127.6 billion. Trailing profit totals the last four quarters, so a single unusual item can raise or trim it, which is why the quarter detail matters here. Revenue rose 25% to USD 127.6 billion and operating income climbed 30% to USD 40.6 billion, pushing the Operating Margin to 32% from 31%. Other income and expense flipped to a net expense of USD 8.2 billion from net income of USD 12.8 billion a year earlier, a swing that accounts for profit slipping while operating earnings improved. Google Cloud revenue grew 103% to USD 30.7 billion, and Cloud operating income reached USD 11.1 billion, up from USD 3.6 billion. The concern: swings below the operating line could skew the headline number, and the share price reaction to the report is not in the material reviewed.

3. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) reported GAAP net income of USD 59.7 billion for the quarter ended July 26, 2026, up 126%, on revenue of USD 96.2 billion. The screen sets profit beside price, so the P/E, meaning price divided by earnings per share, reveals what investors pay for each unit of NVDA earnings. Diluted EPS was USD 2.46. Data Center revenue hit USD 89.0 billion, up 117%, and Data Center delivered about 93% of total sales, a simple calculation using two published figures. For next quarter NVIDIA guided to revenue of USD 108.0 billion, plus or minus 2%, with gross margin near 74.0%, a forecast that leaves out compute revenue from China in Data Center. The concern is dependence on a single segment: Data Center makes up roughly 93% of sales, and the outlook excludes China compute revenue.

4. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) posted September quarter revenue of USD 114.5 billion, up 12%, and diluted EPS of USD 2.10, up 14%. AAPL is here because the screen totals the past four quarters of after-tax earnings, a yardstick that favors scale and says little about growth or valuation. Gross margin was 47.9%, including about 1 point from Tariff refunds, and EPS contained USD 0.05 from the same refunds, so some earnings may not recur in normal operations. The company declared a USD 0.27 quarterly dividend per share, due November 16, 2026, and returned USD 28 billion to shareholders. Full-year fiscal 2026 sales hit USD 479 billion, a record high. The concern is that tariff refunds helped the quarter's profit, while a single published source warns that memory costs are squeezing margins.

5. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Per published coverage, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) earned about USD 9.86 billion in the third quarter of 2026 after a USD 9.89 billion legal charge. Because trailing profit covers four quarters, a one-time charge or windfall can move it either way, and the quarter detail is key for META. Operating income of USD 12.99 billion absorbed a USD 9.89 billion legal charge. Without that charge, operating income would have been roughly USD 22.9 billion and EPS USD 7.40, per the same coverage. Quarterly capex reached USD 34.9 billion, pushing free Cash Flow to minus USD 2.12 billion. Guidance for full-year 2026 capex sits between USD 135 billion and USD 145 billion. The concern: these numbers come from one outside reading of the filing and are approximate, and heavy capex has tipped free cash flow below zero.

Where Things Stand

On trailing net income, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) leads at USD 133.75 billion, followed by GOOGL, NVDA, AAPL and META, yet the latest quarters tell a different story: Alphabet's quarterly profit fell about 25%, Meta absorbed a USD 9.89 billion legal charge, and Microsoft and NVIDIA grew profit 32% and 126%. Net income is the residue once all costs, taxes and one-time items are subtracted, so big profits signal Maturity rather than undervalued shares. Setting profit beside the P/E ratio and the latest quarter reveals what investors are paying and what has changed.