Microsoft crushed it last quarter

The biggest surprise so far on Wall Street this week: Microsoft. Despite their failures, they were able to be much more profitable than just about anyone expected.

Microsoft’s revenue and earnings per share grew more than 15 percent each in its first fiscal quarter of 2014, during which enterprise server software products sold particularly well, the company said Thursday.

Microsoft generated revenue of US$18.5 billion in the quarter, ended Sept. 30, up 16 percent compared with last year’s first quarter and topping the $17.8 billion consensus estimate of Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Financial.