Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare MicroStrategy Incorporated (STRK) vs Elastic N.V. (ESTC) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | ESTC | 17.0% revenue growth vs STRK's -6.6% |
| Quality / Margins | STRK | 16.7% net margin vs ESTC's -5.0% |
| Stability / Safety | STRK | Beta 0.62 vs ESTC's 1.39, lower leverage |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | STRK | -7.4% vs ESTC's -55.3% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | STRK | 10.8% ROA vs ESTC's -3.5%, ROIC -9.3% vs -5.2% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
MicroStrategy is an enterprise analytics software company that provides AI-powered business intelligence platforms for data analysis and decision-making. It generates revenue primarily from software licenses and subscription services (~70%) along with consulting and support services (~30%), while also holding a substantial bitcoin treasury as a strategic asset. The company's key advantage lies in its sophisticated semantic graph technology—which provides unified data access across complex enterprise systems—and its first-mover position in corporate bitcoin adoption.
Elastic is a search and data analytics software company that provides the Elastic Stack platform for real-time search, observability, and security use cases. It generates revenue primarily through subscription-based software sales — about 90% from cloud and self-managed offerings — with the remainder from professional services. Its competitive advantage lies in its widely adopted open-source core (Elasticsearch) that creates a large developer ecosystem and network effects.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
STRK leads in 2 of 6 categories (Total Returns, Risk & Volatility). ESTC leads in 1 (Profitability & Efficiency). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
ESTC is the larger business by revenue, generating $1.7B annually — 3.5x STRK's $475M. STRK is the more profitable business, keeping 16.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to ESTC's -5.0%. On growth, ESTC holds the edge at +17.7% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $475M | $1.7B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $11.0B | -$27M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $7.9B | -$85M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$18.1B | $257M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +70.1% | +76.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +23.1% | -1.7% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +16.7% | -5.0% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -38.2% | +15.3% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +10.9% | +17.7% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +5.9% | +143.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | — | $5.5B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | — | $5.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -12.93x | -50.07x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 20.96x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | — | 3.70x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.83x | 5.82x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 20.99x |
Profitability & Efficiency
STRK delivers a 13.6% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $14 in annual profit, vs $-11 for ESTC. STRK carries lower financial leverage with a 0.40x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to ESTC's 0.64x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), ESTC scores 7/9 vs STRK's 2/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +13.6% | -10.7% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +10.8% | -3.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -9.3% | -5.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -12.4% | -3.7% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.40x | 0.64x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $7.2B | -$133M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $38M | $728M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $7.3B | $595M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 156.03x | -2.17x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in STRK five years ago would be worth $10,566 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $3,595 for ESTC. Over the past 12 months, STRK leads with a -7.4% total return vs ESTC's -55.3%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors STRK at 1.9% vs ESTC's -4.1% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -6.1% | -28.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -7.4% | -55.3% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +5.7% | -11.8% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +5.7% | -64.1% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +5.7% | -25.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +1.9% | -4.1% |
Risk & Volatility
STRK is the less volatile stock with a 0.62 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than ESTC's 1.39 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. STRK currently trades 60.5% from its 52-week high vs ESTC's 44.3% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.62x | 1.39x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $129.48 | $117.49 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $71.40 | $49.90 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +60.5% | +44.3% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 51.0 | 47.0 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 168K | 1.3M |
Analyst Outlook
| Metric | STRKMicroStrategy Inc… | ESTCElastic N.V. |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $104.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 34 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | — | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Jan 25 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroStrategy Incor… (STRK) | 100 | 100.12 | +0.1% |
| Elastic N.V. (ESTC) | 100 | 58.72 | -41.3% |
MicroStrategy Incor… (STRK) returned +6% over 5 years vs Elastic N.V. (ESTC)'s -64%. A $10,000 investment in STRK 5 years ago would be worth $10,566 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroStrategy Incor… (STRK) | $514M | $463M | -9.8% |
| Elastic N.V. (ESTC) | $88M | $1.5B | +1582.2% |
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroStrategy Incor… (STRK) | 18.0% | -2.5% | -114.0% |
| Elastic N.V. (ESTC) | -58.9% | -7.3% | +87.6% |
Chart 4EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MicroStrategy Incor… (STRK) | 0.8 | -6.06 | -857.5% |
| Elastic N.V. (ESTC) | -0.84 | -1.04 | -23.8% |
Chart 5Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
MicroStrategy Incorporated generated $-22B FCF in 2024 (-773% vs 2021). Elastic N.V. generated $262M FCF in 2025 (+1329% vs 2021).
STRK vs ESTC: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is STRK or ESTC a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Elastic N.V. (ESTC) a "Buy" — based on 34 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — STRK or ESTC?
Over the past 5 years, MicroStrategy Incorporated (STRK) delivered a total return of +5.7%, compared to -64.1% for Elastic N.V. (ESTC). A $10,000 investment in STRK five years ago would be worth approximately $11K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: STRK returned +5.7% versus ESTC's -25.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — STRK or ESTC?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), MicroStrategy Incorporated (STRK) is the lower-risk stock at 0.62β versus Elastic N.V.'s 1.39β — meaning ESTC is approximately 124% more volatile than STRK relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, MicroStrategy Incorporated (STRK) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 40% versus 64% for Elastic N.V. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
04Which has better profit margins — STRK or ESTC?
Elastic N.V. (ESTC) is the more profitable company, earning -7.3% net margin versus -251.7% for MicroStrategy Incorporated — meaning it keeps -7.3% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: ESTC leads at -3.7% versus -399.8% for STRK. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — ESTC leads at 74.4%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Which pays a better dividend — STRK or ESTC?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
06Is STRK or ESTC better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, MicroStrategy Incorporated (STRK) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.62)). Both have compounded well over 10 years (STRK: +5.7%, ESTC: -25.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
07What are the main differences between STRK and ESTC?
Both stocks operate in the Technology sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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