Microsoft nabídne dobrovolný odchod zhruba 60 000 způsobilým zaměstnancům v zapojených týmech v USA, Kanadě, Indii a Británii, aby snížil stavy bez dalších nucených propouštění.
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Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman. Microsoft Microsoft is offering buyouts, according to a memo Chief People Officer Amy Coleman sent to employees Monday.
"The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we're evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter," Coleman wrote.
Microsoft's voluntary exit offer is the company's latest attempt to slim its workforce without another round of involuntary cuts. After spending heavily on AI infrastructure and reducing headcount this year, Microsoft is offering remaining employees a chance to leave, testing whether voluntary departures can cut costs.
Eligible employees in the U.S., Canada, India, and the U.K. at level 70, which includes senior leaders at the company, and below, will receive an email later Monday with the terms of the offer. Only some teams are participating, excluding sales organizations, some engineering, and some corporate functions.
Around 60,000 employees — or more than a quarter of the company's workforce — about will be eligible, a spokesperson told Business Insider, and the terms will be similar to Microsoft's standard severance.
Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate jobs amid AI restructuring
The US severance package offered when Microsoft laid off employees earlier this year included a minimum of 60 days of base pay, during which employees will remain on the payroll, and, for most employees, up to a maximum of 39 weeks of base pay, based on seniority and tenure.
Employees at internal levels 64 and below received one week of base pay per six months of service, for example, and employees at levels 65 to 67 will receive two weeks of base pay per six months of service, according to offers reviewed by Business Insider.
Eligible employees will have until early December to decide whether to take the offer and exit at the end of the year, and there are no plans for another buyout at this time, Microsoft's spokesperson said.
The buyout offer follows Microsoft's Voluntary Retirement Program, which offered a retirement buyout to about 9,000 eligible employees based on age and tenure.
About one-third of eligible employees took the buyout, in line with expectations, a person familiar with the turnout told Business Insider in June. That buyout allowed Microsoft to lay off a lower percentage of its workforce compared to last year, the person said at the time.
Read the memo:Introducing a Voluntary Exit Offer
Today, we're introducing a new Voluntary Exit Offer (VEO) to eligible employees within participating organizations. This offer gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support. It also gives participating orgs another way to adapt their workforce to changing needs.
The Voluntary Exit Offer reflects an important part of how we're evolving our approach to change: creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter. This builds on what we learned earlier this year through the Voluntary Retirement Program.
What employees should know
This offer will be available to eligible employees in participating teams in Canada, India, United Kingdom and United States at level 70 and below. This is a time-limited, voluntary program that gives those who are eligible the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources. Some organizations are providing the Voluntary Exit Offer, and some are not. Participation varies based on each business's priorities, customer commitments, and workforce needs.
Eligible employees will receive an email with a link to their Voluntary Exit Offer details within the next few hours.
Looking ahead
The Voluntary Exit Offer is new for us. We'll learn from it. At the same time, we'll keep helping people focus on the work that matters most, build new skills, and, where it makes sense, find new opportunities across Microsoft. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for every team or every employee. These are a few of the ways we're trying to meet different business needs while continuing to create opportunities for our own people to grow and contribute.
My promise is to continue to provide clarity, listen and learn, and keep improving.
Thank you for everything you continue to do for our customers, Microsoft, and for one another.
Amy
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Microsoft Layoffs Enterprise Software More Artificial Intelligence Cloud Computing
Microsoft ve středu zveřejní hospodářské výsledky za první fiskální čtvrtletí; trh sleduje, zda růst Azure a Copilotu ospravedlní rostoucí výdaje na AI infrastrukturu.
Microsoft stock gained on Monday after attracting bullish analyst sentiment ahead of its fiscal first-quarter earnings report, with Wall Street expecting continued growth in its Azure cloud platform and Copilot AI assistant despite rising infrastructure spending.
MSFT shares rose 1.1% on Monday. The stock reached a record closing high of $543.45 on October 13.
Microsoft shares have gained 34% since July 29, when the company reported strong fiscal fourth-quarter results that helped reinforce investor confidence in its AI investments.
The company spent $41 billion on capital expenditure in the fiscal fourth quarter and $145 billion over the full fiscal year.
Its next test comes on Wednesday, when it is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter earnings after the market closes.
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Azure and Copilot momentum could justify Microsoft’s AI spending surge.
51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Azure and Copilot growth remain key to Microsoft’s outlookCantor analyst Thomas Blakey reiterated his Overweight rating and $608 price target ahead of the results, noting that capital expenditure would be a central focus.
He expects spending in fiscal 2027, which began on July 1, to increase significantly.
However, Blakey said his analysis points to continued growth in Azure and Copilot, with Microsoft positioned as the “enterprise AI orchestration layer.”
“Microsoft continues to expect margin improvement within individual cloud and AI product layers despite near-term mix pressure,” Blakey said.
He also highlighted the company's potential to benefit as AI adoption expands across businesses, supporting continued momentum in Azure.
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Wood maintained an Overweight rating and a $600 price target.
He views increasing competition among AI models as a positive for Microsoft, arguing that a wider range of models could drive greater Azure capacity consumption and Copilot usage.
“We see accelerating model choice as further validation of Microsoft’s positioning across the AI stack,” Wood said. He added that a multi-model environment aligns with Microsoft's full-stack AI platform.
Oppenheimer raised its Microsoft price target to $625 from $570 while maintaining an Outperform rating.
The firm's checks indicate healthy enterprise demand for Azure and Microsoft 365, supporting the outlook for continued growth.
Oppenheimer also said infrastructure availability, rather than demand, remains the main constraint on Azure's expansion.
Additional capacity coming online this fiscal year and next could help accelerate growth across Azure and Microsoft 365.
Oppenheimer forecasts fiscal first-quarter revenue of $90 billion, representing 16% year-over-year growth, and GAAP earnings of $4.69 per share.
It estimates Azure revenue growth of 46% in constant currency, compared with buy-side expectations of 47%.
The firm also flagged fiscal 2027 capital expenditure requirements as a risk to monitor.
Meanwhile, broader Copilot monetisation beyond seat-based pricing could support Microsoft 365 Commercial Cloud growth.
Truist analyst Terry Tillman raised his price target to $600 from $575 and maintained a Buy rating.
Truist expects Azure growth to accelerate in the fiscal first quarter and believes elevated growth could persist for longer.
The firm cited continued AI and agentic activity, including Copilot and Microsoft's role in coordinating first- and third-party AI workloads.
Truist also pointed to Azure efficiencies and established businesses such as Microsoft 365 as potential supports for Microsoft's free cash flow.
FactSet data shows that the average price target among 59 firms covering Microsoft is $599.14, alongside an average Buy rating.
Investors will watch Wednesday's results for evidence that growing AI demand can justify the company's expanding capital expenditure.
Microsoft ve fiskálním roce 2026 zvýšil tržby o 18 % na 331,8 mld. USD, ale volný peněžní tok klesl o 6 % na zhruba 67 mld. USD v důsledku kapitálových výdajů.
Microsoft (MSFT +0.66%) closed at a record $543.45 on Oct. 13, and it hasn't moved far since. Shares trade near $530 as of this writing, about 2% off the high. Microsoft posts results for the fiscal first quarter of 2027 (the three months ended Sept. 30, 2026) after the market closes on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The company has earned a good chunk of that climb. Microsoft's adjusted earnings per share jumped 22% for fiscal 2026, which ended June 30.
But at today's price, shares cost about 31 times those earnings. It's a steep price for a business whose own guidance suggests slower growth right as its capital spending keeps rising.
I'd buy the stock at about $465 a share, roughly 12% under where it trades now.
Image source: Getty Images.
A strong year, already paid forMicrosoft's fiscal 2026 was impressive by nearly any measure. Revenue grew 18% to $331.8 billion, and operating income climbed 21% to $155.2 billion. Non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings per share, which strip out the effect of Microsoft's investments in OpenAI, increased 22% to $17.28. And the pace held up all year, with adjusted earnings per share up 23% year over year in both the first and fourth quarters of fiscal 2026.
But the stock price already reflects much of that. With shares around $530, Microsoft trades at about 31 times its fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings. On reported earnings of $17.95 per share, it's about 30.
The price-to-earnings ratio for the S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.52%) on its reported earnings is about 26. The premium is easier to defend when earnings rise 22% a year.
Growth is cooling as spending climbsAnd management's forecast for the September quarter suggests growth is slowing, at least a little. Microsoft sees revenue between $89.85 billion and $90.95 billion, cost of revenue between $29.6 billion and $29.8 billion, and operating expenses between $16.8 billion and $16.9 billion. At these levels, operating income would climb around 14% to 17% from the year-ago quarter's $38.0 billion. This compares to year-over-year growth of 24%, 21%, 20%, and 18% over the four quarters of fiscal 2026.
In short, operating income growth has slowed every quarter for a year, and the guidance shows it slowing again.
The spending is the bigger reason I want a discount. Cash from operations grew a strong 34% in fiscal 2026, to about $183 billion. But Microsoft also spent almost $116 billion on additions to property and equipment, so free cash flow dipped about 6% to roughly $67 billion.
What's more, management expects capital expenditures of about $175 billion in calendar 2026.
"[W]e expect to remain free cash flow positive in FY27," chief financial officer Amy Hood said on Microsoft's earnings call in July.
It's arguably a low bar -- Microsoft produced around $67 billion in free cash flow last fiscal year.
Why $465?My buy price starts with the $17.28 Microsoft earned per share last fiscal year on an adjusted basis. I'd pay a price-to-earnings multiple of around 27 on that number, which comes out to about $465 a share.
At that price, Microsoft's price-to-earnings ratio on reported earnings would be about 26, on par with the S&P 500's. I think paying around the market's valuation multiple is fair for a business whose earnings growth looks set to cool toward the mid-teens as its spending keeps climbing. Shares last closed under $465 on July 31, two days after the company's fiscal fourth-quarter report pushed the stock sharply higher.
The Oct. 28 report might shift my price in two ways. The first is earnings. Because my price is linked to trailing adjusted earnings per share, every strong quarter lifts it.
MSFT Microsoft$524.51+$3.43 (+0.66%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/23/26
Management's guidance suggests operating income growth of a bit over 15% at the midpoint. If adjusted earnings per share gained 15% from the year-ago period's $4.13, trailing adjusted earnings per share would reach around $17.90, and my buy price would rise to about $483.
The second is Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform. As I wrote earlier this month, I think the stock needs Azure's growth to stay above 40%. If Azure falls short, or if free cash flow keeps dropping, I'd want to pay a lower price-to-earnings ratio than 27, and my buy price would fall with it.
Would I buy Microsoft stock before Oct. 28? Not at roughly $530.
Sure, a strong report might raise my buy price, and shares may never drop as low as $465. But at about 31 times adjusted earnings, I think the stock already reflects most of the good news. I'd consider buying closer to $465.
Microsoft just guided quarterly capital spending above $50 billion while promising flat operating margins, and Azure has to grow 45% to make those numbers add up. Wednesday's earnings will show whether the math actually works.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) reports fiscal first-quarter results on Wednesday, October 28, after the close. Management guided quarterly capital spending above $50 billion, so this report will show whether Azure growth can keep pace with the AI bill.
Record Azure Quarter Raised the Stakes
Microsoft closed fiscal 2026 strongly. Fourth-quarter revenue reached $90.01 billion, up 17.8%, ahead of the $87.63 billion consensus. EPS of $4.74 exceeded the $4.2397 estimate, helped by a $3.2 billion gain on its Anthropic stake.
Azure grew 43% and crossed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time. Commercial remaining performance obligations (RPO) jumped 84% to $678 billion.
Costs rose just as fast. Quarterly capex hit $41 billion, with about two-thirds going to short-lived CPUs and GPUs, and free cash flow fell 23.19% to $19.6 billion. Shares have gained 9.14% year to date and 4.78% over the past month.
Wall Street Expects Double-Digit Growth Across the Board
The revenue consensus sits inside management’s guided range of $89.85 billion to $90.95 billion.
Azure’s 45% Target Meets a $50 Billion Bill
Azure is the first number I’ll check. Management guided growth of about 45% in constant currency, and Amy Hood said on the July call that “demand continues to exceed available supply.” Microsoft added another gigawatt of capacity last quarter, so watch how quickly that capacity turns into revenue.
Spending is the other side of the equation. First-quarter capex is guided above $50 billion including lease reclassification, compared with $19.39 billion a year ago. Management still expects operating margins to stay relatively flat year over year, even with cost of revenue guided up 23% to 24%.
All that capex has to be powered and cooled by somebody, which is why the picks-and-shovels names behind the data-center expansion keep showing up in our free AI infrastructure report, available here.
I’m also watching three other items:
Copilot monetization: Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats, and net seat additions more than doubled sequentially. Pricing is changing toward a seat-plus-consumption model.
OpenAI exposure: RPO rose 25% excluding OpenAI, and all sequential RPO growth came from customers outside frontier model companies. Questions about OpenAI’s finances and IPO timing keep this in focus.
New reporting structure: Microsoft is combining into “Agents and Infra” and “Devices and Consumer” units. That should make its enterprise AI revenue easier to see.
Spending Needs a Visible Payoff This Quarter
Microsoft has beaten EPS estimates six straight quarters, so another beat is largely expected. The bigger question is whether 45% Azure growth and a $678 billion backlog can justify more than $50 billion of quarterly capex. Management has promised to stay free-cash-flow positive in fiscal 2027, with full-year operating margins declining by less than 1 point. If Microsoft hits those marks while Azure speeds up, the spending story becomes much easier to defend.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Henson Edgewater Management ve druhém čtvrtletí koupila 19 151 akcií společnosti Microsoft za přibližně 9,43 milionu USD. Microsoft tvoří 5,3 % jejího portfolia.
Henson Edgewater Management LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 19,151 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $9,430,000. Microsoft accounts for about 5.3% of Henson Edgewater Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding.
Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% during the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $75,641,000. Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 0.4% during the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $199,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Microsoft by 8.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after acquiring an additional 537,634 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MSFT has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Melius Research set a $665.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
Read Our Latest Report on Microsoft More Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Microsoft Price Performance NASDAQ MSFT opened at $521.08 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $507.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $445.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.
Insider Activity In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total value of $3,984,293.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Concorde Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,698 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,379,000. Microsoft makes up 0.8% of Concorde Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.
Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after acquiring an additional 9,814,598 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 64.3% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after purchasing an additional 9,493,778 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Microsoft Trading Down 2.2% Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $521.08 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $507.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $445.62. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
Insider Activity In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check
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Glenview Trust Co acquired a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 520,772 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $194,258,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 1.8% of Glenview Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 1.7% in the second quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial raised its position in Microsoft by 6.2% during the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.7% during the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 3.8% during the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Microsoft Stock Down 2.2% Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $521.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $507.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $445.62. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.65 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus dropped their target price on Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Microsoft from $510.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $592.15.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Insiders Place Their Bets In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check
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Fox Hill Wealth Management ve 2. čtvrtletí nakoupila 44 074 akcií společnosti Microsoft za přibližně 16,44 milionu USD; MSFT je její největší pozicí a tvoří 6,6 % portfolia.
Fox Hill Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 44,074 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $16,440,000. Microsoft accounts for about 6.6% of Fox Hill Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $75,641,000. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Insiders Place Their Bets In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Mizuho upped their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
Get Our Latest Research Report on MSFT
Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of MSFT opened at $521.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $507.93 and a 200-day moving average of $445.62. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check
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Denver PWM LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,618 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 0.9% of Denver PWM LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Amundi increased its stake in Microsoft by 30.8% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after buying an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Microsoft by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Microsoft by 64.3% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after buying an additional 9,493,778 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Melius Research set a $665.00 price target on shares of Microsoft and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Yorkville Ives started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 target price for the company. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft
Microsoft Stock Down 2.2% Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $521.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $507.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $445.62. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system correctly diagnosed complex medical cases in a simulation more than twice as often as generalist physicians, according to a study published Thursday in Science. Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft AI’s CEO, called the result a step toward “medical superintelligence.”
The system, dubbed MAI-DxO (DxO for short), coordinates several AI agents that act like a panel of doctors. They question a patient, order tests, and debate a diagnosis.
In a simulation using complex cases from the New England Journal of Medicine, it was correct 83% of the time. Primary care doctors and general internists, working individually with reference materials, were correct 36% of the time. One note: Cases this complex are usually handled by specialists or physician teams, who weren’t part of the comparison.
“There is something very substantial and exciting here,” Dominic King, vice president of Health at Microsoft AI, told TechCrunch. “The biggest challenge in healthcare delivery at the moment is the growing mismatch between demand and supply of medical expertise.”
In publishing these results, Microsoft joins Google and OpenAI in claiming that its AI can match or outperform doctors.
The study’s own data suggests that much of the improvement comes from more powerful underlying AI models, with Microsoft’s orchestration system adding gains on top.
Microsoft tested MAI-DxO with models from several companies, including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and DeepSeek, but its best results came with OpenAI’s GPT-5 and GPT-5.5.
Accuracy improvements delivered by DxO (no budget constraints) on CPC over models
prompted with baseline prompt across different large language models.Image Credits:Microsoft AI
Microsoft measured DxO on cost as well as accuracy, meaning the estimated cost of running the AI on each case. On its own with a short, basic prompt, GPT-5 scored 78.9% on complex cases at about $8,400 per case. DxO cut that cost by about $3,000 but raised accuracy by only about four points. On emergency department cases, there was little improvement in either accuracy or cost improvement between GPT-5 on its own and with the assist from DxO.
With GPT-5.5, a newer model released in April 2026, the results split. On complex cases, DxO increased GPT-5.5’s accuracy score from 72% to nearly 87% at a slightly cheaper cost. However, the gains once again didn’t show up on emergency department cases. Both (with and without DxO) scored about 85% at a similar cost.
DxO helps most on complex cases and with less capable AI models. Gemini 2.5 Flash, for example, scored 46.4% on its own but nearly 69% with DxO. Even so, the gap between the weaker and stronger models was larger than the boost DxO provided.
Microsoft’s researchers said that accuracy gains naturally shrink as models approach the theoretical maximum. “The DxO orchestration helps with the broader challenge of optimization both accuracy and cost,” a spokesperson added.
Suleyman, who leads Microsoft’s effort to build its own frontier AI, told TechCrunch that the company is working with the Mayo Clinic to train a foundation model for healthcare, with release planned for next year. He believes this model will enable the company to “make really enormous leaps here,” and says DxO is part of the foundational infrastructure Microsoft is building to see real breakthroughs in healthcare.
“I really believe that in 2027, we will be on the verge of a coding style breakthrough for medical records,” Suleyman said. “I think we’re going to be able to stream highly accurate predictions about how a medical record might unfold, and obviously that kind of foresight for a clinician is gold dust.”
Suleyman has spent his career trying to use AI to solve medical issues. He was previously a co-founder of DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014. The following year, Google DeepMind acquired King’s startup Hark, a clinical task management app, and the two of them launched DeepMind Health together. Suleyman joined Microsoft to lead its AI unit in 2024, and King followed a few months later.
“We’re just true believers,” Suleyman said.
He said while the use of generative AI in healthcare is still early, he expects healthcare models to get “an order of magnitude better in capability within the next 24 to 36 months.”
“As we’ve seen multiple times in the last five or six years, the progress happens very quickly once you have a flywheel,” Suleyman said. “A flywheel means we have a model in production which we are iterating with real-world usage in order to identify gaps in the model and then patch them and improve them. That’s what’s happened in coding. It’s what happened in chat before that. And I think next year it’s going to start to happen for medical records and for clinical decision support.”
Through a new partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Microsoft will evaluate the clinical reasoning capabilities of DxO across different hospital settings.
“This technology is ready for real-world evaluations, and you can imagine the complexity and diversity of issues that come from a Boston emergency department on a Friday evening,” King said.
He explained how the study will work: Patients will get standard treatment, including triage, time with a specialist, treatments, investigations, and decision on whether it’s safe to discharge. In parallel, those who consent will also engage with DxO. Microsoft and its partners will compare DxO’s recommendations against the human doctors’.
Google published a clinical study alongside Beth Israel in The Lancet this month to evaluate Google’s AMIE conversational diagnostic AI in real-world urgent care visits, while human physicians monitored the interactions in real time.
“We think this will be the biggest study of its kind,” King said. “It will be across not just emergency settings but urgent care environments, and will give us very compelling evidence by the end of the study period around the ability for these systems to be deployed at greater scale in the future.”
Microsoft’s study in Science coincides with a manifesto of sorts around what it will take to build medical superintelligence, defined as “the capacity to surpass the strongest contemporary human-led health systems in medical reasoning and coordination across the full arc of care.” Microsoft hopes to move beyond benchmarking individual tasks — like answering medical exam questions and generating diagnoses — into integrating with clinicians and healthcare systems for better outcomes.
“This is the kind of technology that everybody in the world wants, and that’s why we’re committed to doing everything we can to accelerate its introduction to the world,” Suleyman said, adding that this focus could be a differentiator for Microsoft compared to the other frontier labs.
Microsoft already sells dictation and radiology tools to clinicians and sees DxO as an expansion to those efforts.
“We have to have the absolute number one state-of-the-art medical clinical decision support products over the next few years,” Suleyman said.
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Camarda Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,911 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,086,000.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $75,641,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Yukon Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $8,259,000. Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $7,658,000. Finally, Wealth Management Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $933,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have issued reports on MSFT. Yorkville Ives assumed coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial lowered Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MSFT Insider Transactions at Microsoft In related news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of MSFT stock opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $507.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $444.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.27%.
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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E Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,462 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $545,000. Microsoft accounts for about 0.4% of E Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position.
Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 36,558 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $13,637,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its stake in Microsoft by 36.4% during the second quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 28,183 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,513,000 after purchasing an additional 7,527 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 12.3% during the second quarter. Hamilton Capital Partners LLC now owns 57,868 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $21,586,000 after buying an additional 6,339 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 3.2% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 180,462 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $67,316,000 after buying an additional 5,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brindle & Bay Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $756,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research firms have issued reports on MSFT. Yorkville Ives assumed coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $530.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSFT Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Microsoft Stock Up 0.2% Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $507.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $444.58. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 73,120 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $27,275,000. Microsoft makes up 1.1% of Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $4,000,706,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $507.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $444.58. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year. Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Insider Buying and Selling In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Argus decreased their price target on Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.15.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Microsoft
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 75,705 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $28,240,000. Microsoft makes up about 1.7% of Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial grew its holdings in Microsoft by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Sequent Planning LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,052,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Evercore raised shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Melius Research set a $665.00 target price on Microsoft and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
View Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Trading Up 0.2% MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $553.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a fifty day moving average of $507.45 and a 200-day moving average of $444.58. The stock has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.27%.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Hayek Kallen Investment Management ve 2. čtvrtletí nově nakoupila 58 559 akcií Microsoftu za zhruba 21,844 milionu USD; tento titul tvoří 6,6 % jejího portfolia.
Hayek Kallen Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 58,559 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $21,844,000. Microsoft makes up about 6.6% of Hayek Kallen Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Frankly Finances LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT Microsoft Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $507.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $444.58. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
More Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Insider Buying and Selling In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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Harvey Capital Management ve druhém čtvrtletí koupila 45 894 akcií společnosti Microsoft Corporation za zhruba 17,119 milionu USD; akcie MSFT tvoří 3,5 % jejího portfolia.
Harvey Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 45,894 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $17,119,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 3.5% of Harvey Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding.
Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. N10 Assets LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $6,608,000. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,240,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $46,868,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,086,787,000. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH bought a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,074,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Phillip Securities cut shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Yorkville Ives began coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 target price on the stock. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $592.15. Get Our Latest Report on MSFT
Insider Buying and Selling In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total value of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $302,924,086.32. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Trading Up 0.2% Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $507.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $444.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Dearborn Partners ve 2. čtvrtletí nově nakoupila 202 781 akcií společnosti Microsoft za zhruba 75,641 milionu USD; Microsoft se stal její druhou největší pozicí.
Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 202,781 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $75,641,000. Microsoft accounts for 3.5% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 1.7% in the second quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Sequent Planning LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms have issued reports on MSFT. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial cut Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $662.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. CLSA reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $512.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15. Check Out Our Latest Report on Microsoft
Insider Transactions at Microsoft In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Trading Up 0.2% Shares of MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $507.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $444.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Hamilton Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,808 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $4,778,000. Microsoft makes up about 0.2% of Hamilton Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $18,306,443,000. Amundi grew its position in Microsoft by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after acquiring an additional 9,814,598 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after purchasing an additional 2,784,809 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Microsoft by 64.3% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after purchasing an additional 9,493,778 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Evercore upgraded shares of Microsoft from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Microsoft Stock Up 0.2% Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $532.95 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $507.45 and a 200 day moving average of $444.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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Equitable Holdings ve druhém čtvrtletí koupila 392 554 akcií společnosti Microsoft za přibližně 146,43 milionu USD; pozice tvoří 0,9 % jejího portfolia.
Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 392,554 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $146,430,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 0.9% of Equitable Holdings Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.
Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% during the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $85,604,000 after purchasing an additional 8,773 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,652,000. Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% in the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 138.8% during the 1st quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 1,356,359 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $502,077,000 after acquiring an additional 788,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $530.00 to $575.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
Get Our Latest Report on Microsoft Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $507.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $444.58. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Microsoft News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Společnost Balanced Rock Investment Advisors ve 2. čtvrtletí získala nový podíl ve společnosti Microsoft v podobě 1 637 akcií v hodnotě přibližně 611 000 USD.
Balanced Rock Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,637 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $611,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% in the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,652,000. Markel Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares during the period. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 138.8% during the 1st quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 1,356,359 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $502,077,000 after buying an additional 788,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Performance NASDAQ MSFT opened at $532.95 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $507.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $444.58. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Expectations are building for another earnings beat, with demand for Azure cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Copilot supporting revenue and earnings growth. The key catalyst will be Microsoft’s October 28 report, where investors will look for accelerating Azure growth and evidence that AI investments are translating into monetization. Microsoft Earnings Preview Positive Sentiment: Microsoft remains viewed favorably as a relatively cash-generative way to participate in the AI-cloud buildout. While Oracle’s cloud growth is faster, Microsoft’s stronger free cash flow, lower leverage and broad enterprise installed base may provide greater financial resilience as AI capital expenditures rise. Oracle Versus Microsoft Positive Sentiment: A new Boeing fleet-intelligence platform, Dataliner, is being built on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. The partnership could add a recurring enterprise workload for Azure and demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to embed AI in industry-specific applications. Boeing and Microsoft Dataliner Positive Sentiment: Tavant’s Microsoft Fabric accelerator is now available through Microsoft Marketplace, potentially making it easier for businesses to deploy Fabric-based analytics and AI solutions across Azure. Tavant Fabric Accelerator Neutral Sentiment: GitHub Copilot is reportedly a major customer of Anthropic, highlighting demand for Microsoft’s AI developer tools but also exposing reliance on outside model providers and potential supplier concentration risk. Anthropic Revenue Concentration Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s withdrawal as anchor tenant from a U.K. AI data-center project because of power-supply delays underscores a growing constraint: electricity and grid access may slow Azure’s AI capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft Withdraws From UK AI Data Center Project Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that elevated prices for components could make Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, less competitive or pressure demand. The gaming business is also undergoing restructuring, adding uncertainty beyond Azure and productivity software. Project Helix Pricing Concerns Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $662.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.15.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft
Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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Microsoft nominoval spoluzakladatele a prezidenta společnosti Stripe Johna Collisona do své správní rady. Má obsadit jedno ze dvou míst, která se uvolní po odchodu Reida Hoffmana a po rozhodnutí finančního ředitele společnosti Disney Hugha Johnstona neusilovat o znovuzvolení.
Stripe co-founder and President John Collison has been nominated to join Microsoft’s board of directors. (Stripe Photo) When Stripe co-founder John Collison interviewed Satya Nadella on his company’s podcast last fall, he asked the Microsoft CEO for advice on building a platform business. Collison will soon get to see how Microsoft does it up close.
Collison, 36, the co-founder and president of the Bay Area-based payments platform, has been nominated to Microsoft’s board, the tech giant disclosed Wednesday in its annual proxy statement.
He would fill one of two board seats opening up at Microsoft’s Dec. 8 annual meeting. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman said in June that he would leave, and the proxy reveals that Disney CFO Hugh Johnston, who chairs the board’s audit committee, is not seeking re-election either. Both have served on the board since 2017.
The proxy also notes that former EY CEO Carmine Di Sibio, appointed to the board in May, will stand for election by shareholders for the first time.
Microsoft’s board currently has 13 members, including Di Sibio. With Hoffman and Johnston leaving and Collison joining, it will go back to 12, the same number it had before Di Sibio joined in May.
Microsoft says Collison “brings extensive entrepreneurial and operational experience, along with deep expertise in technology.” He started Stripe with his brother, Patrick, in 2010, and businesses using Stripe processed $1.9 trillion in payments in 2025. Collison does not sit on any other public company board.
The board determined that he is independent, after considering ordinary business dealings between Microsoft and companies tied to its directors. The proxy doesn’t mention any business between Microsoft and Stripe, but the two companies already work together.
Stripe helps power Copilot Checkout, which Microsoft launched in January to let U.S. users of its AI assistant buy from Etsy sellers and other retailers without leaving the chat. In 2023, the companies teamed up to let businesses take card payments for paid events in Microsoft Teams.
The companies’ work together came up in the November episode of Stripe’s “Cheeky Pint” podcast. Collison said Stripe was building a platform business in agentic commerce, in which AI agents shop and pay on behalf of people, and asked Nadella what advice he had for a company building in such an early market.
Nadella said the key would be making it simple for small merchants to sell through AI agents, without asking them to set up servers or adopt a string of new technical protocols themselves.
The relationship goes back years. Nadella said he first visited Stripe’s San Francisco office when he was running Microsoft’s cloud business, before he became CEO.
He said Stripe reminded Microsoft of something it had once been good at, “following the developer, being where the startups are,” and said that thinking “led me even to GitHub,” the code-sharing platform Microsoft acquired in 2018 for $7.5 billion.
Společnost Anthropic získala v první polovině roku 2026 přibližně pětinu svých tržeb od dvou zákazníků, údajně společností SpaceX a Microsoft, aniž by s nimi měla dlouhodobé smlouvy.
Anthropic, one of the world's fastest-growing AI companies, plans to go public by the end of the year. It's reportedly targeting a $2 trillion valuation, which would make it the largest IPO in history and one of the world's most valuable companies.
However, the recent leaks from its confidential S-1 filing reveal some bright red flags. In the first half of 2026, it reportedly generated $16.3 billion in revenue, but it posted a staggering net loss of $80.7 billion. $72 billion of that loss came from non-cash accounting charges, but it still raises troubling questions about its claim to have achieved "adjusted" profitability in its third quarter.
Image source: Getty Images.
Moreover, about a fifth of its revenue in the first half of 2026 came from just two customers. Anthropic didn't name either company in its S-1 filing, but several industry reports have identified them as SpaceX (SPCX +7.80%) and Microsoft (MSFT +0.20%). Let's see why these two companies rely on Anthropic, and if that concentration is a major long-term risk.
Why are SpaceX and Microsoft relying on Anthropic? SpaceX's AI business acquired Cursor, an AI coding start-up, for $60 billion in August. Cursor's AI-first code editor allows its users to access Anthropic's Claude AI models.
SPCX Space Exploration Technologies$159.31+$11.52 (+7.80%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/21/26
Microsoft integrates Claude into GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered programming assistant initially developed by GitHub and OpenAI. As GitHub expanded its platform to include other AI models, millions of developers routed their requests through Claude.
Anthropic generates revenue whenever those platforms access Claude's API (application programming interface). As more developers use Claude's tools on Cursor and GitHub Copilot to accelerate their programming tasks, Anthropic's revenue will keep rising.
Is this a major risk for Anthropic? Claude's programming models (especially Sonnet and Opus) are widely regarded as the best AI tools for generating complex code, so even though Cursor and GitHub Copilot users can select other AI models -- including OpenAI's GPT, Alphabet's Google Gemini, and SpaceX/xAI's Grok -- the vast majority of programmers still use Claude.
But according to Anthropic's S-1 filing, its largest customers access its models on a usage-based basis with no long-term contracts. Therefore, if any of Anthropic's competitors catch up and launch comparable coding models at lower prices, its revenue could plummet. If that competition forces it to reduce its prices, its net losses will likely widen.
Anthropic will inevitably attract a lot of attention when it finally goes public. But just like SpaceX, that sentiment could cool off when investors start to notice its glaring weaknesses.
Microsoft just wrapped a record fiscal year with Azure growing faster than its data centers can handle, Wall Street nearly unanimously bullish, and Copilot seats doubling quarter over quarter. Whether that momentum compounds your money or stalls under a mountain…
Putting $5,000 into Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) today buys a stake in a company that just finished what its chief executive called “a record fiscal year for us,” with shares at $529.05.
Microsoft’s AI and cloud business is still growing fast at a scale few companies reach, which makes a five-year look worth doing. Here is what that stake could be worth by 2031 under three projected scenarios.
Your $5,000 Could Grow to About $9,089 by 2031
Under the central scenario, a $5,000 investment in Microsoft could be worth about $9,089 by 2031, a total return of 81.78%. That figure comes from a projected five-year share price of $961.72, which works out to a annual average gain of 12.7%. This outlook has a confidence score of 0.9 (high) and a buy rating.
For context, Microsoft shares rose 81.22% over the past five years. In other words, the central scenario assumes the next five years look a lot like the last five.
Bull, Base, and Bear Scenarios for a $5,000 Stake
Scenario
Target Share Price
Total Return
Annualized Return
Value of $5,000
Bull
$1,195.85
126.04%
17.72%
$11,302
Base
$961.72
81.78%
12.7%
$9,089
Bear
$639.23
20.83%
3.86%
$6,041.50
Even the conservative case leaves the stake above where it started, though a 3.86% annual pace would trail many lower-risk options. Over a shorter window, the model’s one-year base target is $645.21, with a bull case of $749.10 and a bear case of $545.75.
Three Drivers Powering the Projection
Azure Demand Is Running Ahead of Supply
Azure exceeded $100 billion in annual revenue, up 41%, and grew 43% in the latest quarter.
Management expects first-quarter fiscal 2027 Azure growth of about 45% in constant currency and said “demand continues to exceed available supply.” Commercial remaining performance obligations, which measure signed future revenue, rose 84% to $678 billion.
Copilot Is Turning AI Into Recurring Revenue
Microsoft 365 Copilot passed 30 million paid seats, and net paid seat additions more than doubled quarter over quarter. GitHub Copilot reached 50 million users.
Microsoft is also adding usage-based billing on top of per-seat licenses, which it says should speed up Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud growth through fiscal 2027. For your money, that pricing model gives Microsoft another way to earn more from customers it already has.
Wall Street Is Firmly in the Bullish Camp
Analysts count 14 strong buy, 39 buy, and 2 hold ratings, with no sells, and a consensus target of $599.24. Microsoft has exceeded EPS estimates for 6 consecutive quarters.
Most recently, it reported $4.74 against a $4.2397 estimate, on revenue of $90.01B versus $87.63B expected. MarketWatch recently named Microsoft among the AI stocks Wall Street favors heading into earnings season (MarketWatch).
What Could Derail the $9,089 Outcome
The biggest risk is spending. Full-year capital expenditures hit $115.95B, quarterly free cash flow fell 23.2% to $19.64B, and Microsoft expects first-quarter fiscal 2027 capex of over $50 billion.
If AI demand cools off before those data centers start paying off, both margins and the stock could suffer. Management already expects fiscal 2027 operating margins to decline by less than a point.
Concentration matters too. Excluding OpenAI, remaining performance obligations grew a much slower 25%. A $3.2B gain from the Anthropic investment raised recent EPS and may not repeat. More Personal Computing revenue slid 4%.
And at a market cap of about $3.93 trillion, Microsoft has to keep performing just to justify where it trades now, before the stock can climb further. Competition, cybersecurity threats, and AI regulation round out the risks the company itself flags.
Where $5,000 in Microsoft Could Land by 2031
Across the projected scenarios, a $5,000 stake in Microsoft could be worth between $6,041.50 and $11,302 by 2031, with $9,089 as the most likely outcome.
These figures represent scenarios, and none is guaranteed. Watch Azure growth, Copilot seat counts, and capex returns in each earnings report to see which path the stock is following. Consider it a projection, not investment advice.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
The market expects Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended September 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 28. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis software maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $4.71 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +14%.
Revenues are expected to be $90.59 billion, up 16.6% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.35% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Microsoft?For Microsoft, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.29%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.
So, this combination indicates that Microsoft will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Microsoft would post earnings of $4.21 per share when it actually produced earnings of $4.74, delivering a surprise of +12.59%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Microsoft appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
Expected Results of an Industry PlayerAmong the stocks in the Zacks Computer - Software industry, Manhattan Associates (MANH - Free Report) , is soon expected to post earnings of $1.46 per share for the quarter ended September 2026. This estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +7.4%. This quarter's revenue is expected to be $296.82 million, up 7.6% from the year-ago quarter.
The consensus EPS estimate for Manhattan Associates has been revised 0.3% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. However, a higher Most Accurate Estimate has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +1.65%.
When combined with a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold), this Earnings ESP indicates that Manhattan Associates will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
OpenAI will make its artificial intelligence models available for developers through Google's cloud, following years of competition between the two companies.
For OpenAI, the effort reflects a growing push to expand distribution of its technology to enterprise developers. That's critical as the ChatGPT creator looks to build its business beyond its consumer roots, and the move puts OpenAI's models on all three of the top cloud infrastructure providers.
Less than six months ago, OpenAI said Microsoft would no longer have the exclusive license on its intellectual property. The day after that ended, cloud leader Amazon unveiled plans to host OpenAI models.
Now Google is getting its shot, bringing OpenAI's GPT products to its cloud's model garden and Antigravity coding tool in the coming weeks.
"Google Cloud's longstanding investment in machine learning and AI has made it a destination for AI workloads and the developers and data scientists building them," OpenAI said in a blog post.
Google has been on a run in cloud computing this year. Annualized revenue growth in the segment accelerated to about 82% in the second quarter from 63% in the first quarter, thanks partly to strong demand for AI models and custom chips. Amazon and Microsoft posted second-quarter cloud growth of 37% and 42%, respectively. All three report quarterly results next week.
Most business spending on AI is on OpenAI and Anthropic, according to data from corporate card issuer Ramp, though some corporate IT departments have integrated Google's Gemini models into their systems. In September, Google announced its next-generation Gemini 4 Argon model.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 partly as a counterweight to the concentration of AI research at companies like Google. Two years later, Google employees submitted the influential Transformer academic paper that propelled AI, but it was OpenAI that helped bring the technology forward with ChatGPT. Now OpenAI is courting investors at a $1.4 trillion valuation and targeting an initial public offering.
Google and OpenAI previously partnered last year, when the AI lab said it was using Google's cloud to run ChatGPT and its application programming interface.
Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 22,161 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $8,271,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 1.4% of Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.
A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Microsoft by 56,160.8% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,073,486,000 after acquiring an additional 60,009,531 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $6,928,664,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $5,653,812,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,000,706,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Performance Microsoft stock opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The company’s 50-day moving average is $506.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $443.46. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research downgraded Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Microsoft
Key Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Palestra Capital Management ve druhém čtvrtletí nakoupila 77 662 akcií společnosti Microsoft za zhruba 28,97 milionu USD; tato pozice tvoří 1,0 % jejího portfolia.
Palestra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 77,662 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $28,969,000. Microsoft comprises 1.0% of Palestra Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding.
A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Palogic Value Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $7,867,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $20,998,000. Axim Planning & Wealth bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $902,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $23,760,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $27,338,370,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Trading Down 0.3% Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $506.64 and a 200 day moving average of $443.46. The company has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Argus decreased their target price on Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MSFT
Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge
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One68 Global Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,000 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,000. Microsoft comprises about 2.4% of One68 Global Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.
Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $135,400,000. Blue Edge Capital LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $8,461,000. Jacobs Equity LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $673,000. Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $10,357,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at about $2,106,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Microsoft Stock Down 0.3% MSFT opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $3.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $506.64 and a 200-day moving average of $443.46.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MSFT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
View Our Latest Research Report on MSFT
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Payne Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,747 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $652,000. Microsoft makes up approximately 0.2% of Payne Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.
Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in Microsoft by 56,160.8% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,073,486,000 after purchasing an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,928,664,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,653,812,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Transactions at Microsoft In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes MSFT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $592.15. View Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Microsoft Trading Down 0.3% MSFT stock opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The business’s 50-day moving average is $506.64 and its 200 day moving average is $443.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Corient Private Wealth ve druhém čtvrtletí koupila 5 476 562 akcií společnosti Microsoft v hodnotě zhruba 2,042837 miliardy USD. Tento podíl představoval 0,07 % společnosti Microsoft a tvořil 1,5 % portfolia Corient.
Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,476,562 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $2,042,837,000. Microsoft comprises about 1.5% of Corient Private Wealth LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Corient Private Wealth LP owned about 0.07% of Microsoft at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,082,000. Palestra Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $28,969,000. Palogic Value Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $7,867,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $20,998,000. Finally, Axim Planning & Wealth purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $902,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Trading Down 0.3% Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The company’s 50 day moving average is $506.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $443.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MSFT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $530.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.
View Our Latest Analysis on MSFT
More Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Palogic Value Management ve druhém čtvrtletí nově koupila 21 091 akcií společnosti Microsoft v hodnotě 7,867 milionu USD. Podíl tvoří 2,6 % jejího portfolia a je její šestou největší pozicí.
Palogic Value Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 21,091 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $7,867,000. Microsoft comprises about 2.6% of Palogic Value Management L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position.
A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $20,998,000. Axim Planning & Wealth acquired a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $902,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $23,760,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $27,338,370,000. Finally, Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $10,012,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 21st. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Yorkville Ives started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $615.00 target price for the company. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.15. Get Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT
Microsoft Stock Down 0.3% Microsoft stock opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $506.64 and its 200 day moving average is $443.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Insider Activity at Microsoft In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Parvin Asset Management ve druhém čtvrtletí nově koupila 5 645 akcií společnosti Microsoft v hodnotě zhruba 2,106 milionu USD; tato pozice tvoří 1,7 % jejího portfolia.
Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,645 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $2,106,000. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.7% of Parvin Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,073,486,000 after purchasing an additional 60,009,531 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,306,443,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after purchasing an additional 9,814,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after purchasing an additional 2,784,809 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms recently issued reports on MSFT. Wolfe Research lowered Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Tigress Financial raised their price target on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $592.15.
View Our Latest Research Report on MSFT Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Insider Activity at Microsoft In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total transaction of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $506.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $443.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $3.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge
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Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,539 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $574,000.
Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Frankly Finances LLC purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $35,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $37,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth $38,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 37.4% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $60,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Stock Performance MSFT stock opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $553.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $506.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $443.46. The company has a market capitalization of $3.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Forty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.15.
Read Our Latest Report on MSFT
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge
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Blue Edge Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 22,682 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $8,461,000. Microsoft comprises 1.0% of Blue Edge Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 1.7% during the second quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the first quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,052,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Microsoft Price Performance Shares of MSFT opened at $531.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The business’s 50-day moving average is $506.64 and its 200-day moving average is $443.46.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Insider Activity at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total transaction of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Trending Headlines about Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism and earnings expectations: BMO Capital raised its Microsoft price target to $600 while maintaining an Outperform rating, citing potential upside for Azure. Bernstein also reiterated Outperform and lifted its target to $662. Analysts expect Microsoft’s Oct. 28 results to benefit from Azure demand and expanding enterprise AI adoption. Boeing and Microsoft AI platform article Positive Sentiment: AI and cloud growth remain the core bull case: Commentary points to robust Azure infrastructure demand, commercial customer commitments and Microsoft’s ability to monetize AI across enterprise markets. Its new Maia AI chips could eventually reduce reliance on outside processors and lower inference costs, although execution remains important. Microsoft Q1 outlook Positive Sentiment: Xbox and industry partnerships: Microsoft plans next-generation Xbox consoles and handheld devices for the 2027–2028 holiday seasons. Separately, its partnership with AMD is intended to improve Xbox performance, while Boeing’s new Dataliner aircraft-data platform uses Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and could support enterprise cloud adoption. Next-generation Xbox article Neutral Sentiment: Tokenized-stock objection: Microsoft joined Alphabet and Goldman Sachs in objecting to having its shares listed on a proposed OKX-ICE tokenized-stock platform. The move may limit potential trading exposure but does not directly affect operating results. Tokenized stocks article Negative Sentiment: U.K. AI data-center withdrawal: Microsoft withdrew as anchor tenant from Nscale’s planned Loughton, Essex, facility because grid-connection delays threatened the power supply. The decision highlights electricity and permitting constraints that could slow Azure capacity expansion and increase infrastructure costs. Microsoft U.K. data-center withdrawal Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution pressure: Britain’s competition watchdog is considering strategic-market-status rules for Microsoft’s business software, potentially increasing compliance requirements. Investors are also watching whether very large AI capital expenditures generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to justify the spending. U.K. regulation article Negative Sentiment: Broader AI-stock weakness: A selloff across AI-related equities and concerns about financing, power availability and uncertain returns are weighing on large technology stocks, including Microsoft. The company’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if Azure growth or earnings guidance falls short. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $636.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.15.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MSFT
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Aurora Rejects Curaleaf’s Higher Bid, But the Takeover Fight Isn’t Over Centrus Energy Is Building a Nuclear Fuel Powerhouse—Why Is Its Stock Struggling? Halliburton Gains Traction: Multiyear Upcycle Ahead Meta Platforms’ AI Comeback Faces an Earnings Test—And a $10 Billion Charge Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Microsoft ukončuje po 17 letech program The Garage, který podporoval zaměstnanecké projekty a pořádal Global Hackathon. Budoucnost hackathonu zůstává nejistá.
Employees work on a soldering project during a workshop in a Microsoft Garage space. Microsoft is winding down The Garage as a companywide program, and some spaces could be restricted as early as this week. (Microsoft Photo)
Microsoft is winding down The Garage as a companywide program, ending a 17-year run for the effort that gave employees space and tools for side projects and ran the company’s Global Hackathon, according to an internal FAQ viewed by GeekWire.
The program, with a flagship location on Microsoft’s Redmond campus and more than a dozen other sites from Vancouver, B.C., to Beijing, became part of the company’s push for a more experimental culture under Satya Nadella, who took over as CEO in 2014.
In the FAQ, Microsoft says the experimentation that started in dedicated programs and spaces like The Garage now happens “every day within each of our teams,” as employees build new skills and adopt new tools in their regular work. The FAQ says the company is “reinventing how we foster innovation, learning, and experimentation” across Microsoft.
The move comes as Microsoft spends heavily on AI, much of it for data centers and other infrastructure, while cutting costs and jobs in other parts of the business.
“We regularly evaluate how we use our physical spaces to best support our employees, customers and partners,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. “As part of that ongoing work, we’re making changes to some Garage spaces. Innovation and a builder mindset remain central to how we work every day.”
The company declined to comment further, including on the effect on Garage employees.
The Garage will no longer operate “as a centralized function,” according to the FAQ, and the impact on each physical space “will vary by location.” Some Garage spaces could be restricted as early as Friday, Oct. 23. Neither the FAQ nor Microsoft’s statement says which spaces are affected, including the flagship location in Redmond. Employees can’t take equipment, tools or materials with them.
The future of the Global Hackathon is also unsettled. The FAQ says the hackathon team is “reimagining the program” and that Microsoft will have more to share later.
Microsoft’s public Garage website, which showcased hackathon projects and experimental apps, was redirecting to the Microsoft homepage as of Tuesday morning.
A Microsoft map shows The Garage’s 15 locations as of 2026. Microsoft hasn’t said which of them will be affected as it winds down the program. (Microsoft Graphic)
From Office Labs to companywide: The Garage started in 2009 inside Microsoft’s Office Labs group in Redmond, with the slogan “Doers. Not Talkers.” The idea was to support employees who were already building their own projects, rather than collecting ideas and funding the most popular ones.
The program took on a bigger role under Nadella. In July 2014, The Garage ran Microsoft’s first companywide hackathon, which drew more than 11,000 registrants from 80 countries. The event became an annual fixture of Microsoft’s culture.
The Garage also released experimental apps to the public, including Mouse without Borders, a tool for controlling multiple PCs with one keyboard and mouse, and Arrow Launcher, which became Microsoft Launcher for Android.
As of this year, Microsoft listed Garage locations in 15 regions, including Redmond, Vancouver, B.C., the Bay Area, New York City, Dublin, Israel, India and Beijing.
Employee reaction: On Blind, the anonymous workplace app that verifies users’ employers, a post titled “Amy kills the Garage” drew more than 70 comments. The poster attributed the move to cost-cutting by Microsoft CFO Amy Hood.
Another employee wrote that The Garage was where they met their friends on campus and made connections that advanced their career.
“The Garage offices were one of the last few cool things about Microsoft,” one commenter wrote.
Satya Nadella inherited a company synonymous with Windows and turned it into something Wall Street barely recognized a decade later. Whether that transformation actually rewarded patient investors depends on when you started the clock.
From Windows Company to AI Landlord Ten years ago, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) was still known as the Windows company. Satya Nadella became CEO in 2014 and shifted the business to a cloud-first model. The following decade showed the shift was the right call.
Azure went from challenger to a dominant cloud platform and passed $100 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2026. Office turned into Microsoft 365 subscriptions. The 2019 OpenAI investment became the company’s defining move of the AI era. After a restructuring, Microsoft owns roughly a 27% stake valued at nearly $135 billion, and OpenAI committed to an additional $250 billion in Azure services.
Record Profits Collide With Record Spending Fiscal 2026 revenue reached $331.84 billion (up 17.79%), and net income rose 31.34% to $133.75 billion. Commercial remaining performance obligation jumped 84% to $678 billion. Capex also climbed 79.62% to $115.95 billion, which pushed free cash flow down 6.46%.
Your $1,000 Grew to More Than $10,000 1-Year Return
Initial Investment: $1,000 Current Value: $1,043.30 Total Return: 4.33% S&P 500 (same period): $1,161.60 (16.16%) 5-Year Return
Initial Investment: $1,000 Current Value: $1,800 Total Return: 80% Annualized Return: 12.47% S&P 500 (same period): $1,705.90 (70.59%) 10-Year Return
Initial Investment: $1,000 Current Value: $10,023.10 Total Return: 902.31% Annualized Return: 25.92% S&P 500 (same period): $3,606.80 (260.68%) Over 10 years, recurring cloud revenue grew year after year, and investors paid up for it. The 5-year margin over the index is much thinner. That window includes the 2022 tech selloff. Over the past year, Microsoft trailed the S&P 500 by a wide margin as capex climbed faster than revenue. Shares are up 10.5% year to date and trade at $531.
All of these figures track share price only. The quarterly dividend rose from $0.36 in early 2016 to $0.98, payable December 10, 2026. Reinvesting those payouts would have raised the total.
Azure Growth Versus Capex Will Decide What Comes Next Microsoft’s case strengthens if Azure keeps growing faster than the spending behind it and weakens if capex keeps rising while returns flatten.
Bull case: Azure grew 43% last quarter, and management guided for about 45% in constant currency next quarter. Copilot has passed 30 million paid seats. CFO Amy Hood said, “Demand continues to exceed available supply.”
Bear case: Management expects capex to rise again in fiscal 2027 and operating margins to slip by less than a point. More Personal Computing revenue fell 4%, and a P/E near 30 on a $3.94 trillion company leaves little room for mistakes.
The bull case has more data to back it up. A $678 billion backlog makes demand easy to see, which the market rarely gets. Free cash flow is the number I’d check every quarter.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Microsoft uvádí, že model MAI Cyber One Flash překonal větší model při polovičních nákladech a MAI Voice 2 Flash snížil náklady na GPU v Dynamics 365 o 89 %.
Microsoft claims its in-house AI models now match OpenAI's output at a fraction of the cost, and that single number reshapes how one investor is sizing up the entire cloud AI trade against Alphabet and Amazon.
I follow Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) closely, and the company’s latest earnings call gave me one more reason to keep researching it. Microsoft says its in-house MAI models now match OpenAI’s output on common work for a fraction of the cost. I’m building a retirement portfolio that has to compound for decades, so I care about that cost curve more than any other number.
Cheaper Intelligence Keeps Pulling Me Back Enterprises run their AI on Microsoft’s platform, and Microsoft keeps cutting the cost of every answer. On the July call, management said MAI Cyber One Flash beat a much larger model at half the cost, and MAI Voice 2 Flash delivered an 89% reduction of GPU costs in Dynamics 365. Satya Nadella, the chief executive at the time of the call, put it simply: “We are advancing the frontier on the cost-to-outcome curve, ensuring every customer can turn tokens into business results.” CFO Amy Hood added that “Demand continues to exceed available supply.” With demand exceeding supply, every efficiency gain shows up as margin.
Three Receipts Behind Microsoft’s Momentum First, growth at scale. Fiscal 2026 revenue reached $331.84 billion, up 17.79%. Azure posted 43% growth in the fourth quarter and passed $100 billion in revenue for the full year. Commercial remaining performance obligations hit $678 billion, up 84%, so I can already see years of contracted demand.
Second, profitability. Microsoft runs a 46.78% operating margin, a 40.31% net margin and a 22.01% return on the capital it has invested. Fourth-quarter EPS of $4.74 beat the $4.24 estimate, making it the fifth consecutive beat.
Third, its financial position and income stream. Microsoft’s debt-to-equity sits at 0.29 and interest coverage at 50.88. The dividend yields 0.67%. Microsoft announced another quarterly dividend increase in September 2026, and in fiscal Q2 alone it returned $12.7 billion to shareholders.
Why Microsoft Stands Out Against Alphabet and Amazon Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) trades at 15 times earnings, against 30 for Microsoft. A $99.03 billion gain on equity securities ballooned Alphabet’s second-quarter net income, which makes that multiple look cheaper than it is. In the same quarter its free cash flow came in at negative $5.855 billion, it suspended buybacks, and long-term debt rose from $46.5 billion to $98.2 billion. Its dividend yield of 0.5% is also lower than Microsoft’s.
Shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) trade at 36 times earnings and pay no dividend. It sells for 367.88 times free cash flow, against 59.14 for Microsoft, and its trailing free cash flow stands at negative $7.6 billion. Its operating margin is 11.16%.
Risk I Refuse to Ignore Capital spending is the biggest risk to Microsoft’s outlook. Fiscal 2026 capex rose 79.62% to $115.95 billion. Fourth-quarter free cash flow fell 23.19% to $19.64 billion, and management expects capex of roughly $175 billion. OpenAI concentration also matters to me: excluding OpenAI, commercial RPO grew only 25%.
Several metrics offset that risk. Operating cash flow rose 34.35% to $182.94 billion, and nearly 90% of Microsoft Cloud revenue came from customers outside frontier model companies. Hood also said capex has switched toward “short-lived assets,” so “if the demand environment changes, you just slow down” the biggest cost driver.
Growth Drivers Investors Can’t Afford to Miss Microsoft 365 Copilot has passed 30 million paid seats, and net seat additions more than doubled sequentially. Foundry has 100,000 customers, and Microsoft expects to roughly double its capacity in two years. All of that capacity has to be powered, cooled, and connected by someone, and we featured seven of the companies doing exactly that in a free AI infrastructure report. The stock gained 907.07% over the past ten years. Each cheaper model broadens the gap between what Microsoft charges and what it spends, and that gap is the metric to watch.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Microsoft představil Guardian Agents pro dohled nad firemními AI agenty a varuje, že pokročilým modelům nelze kvůli jejich nepředvídatelnosti důvěřovat.
Microsoft on Monday introduced new security features designed to protect enterprises from the growing threat of AI agents. The launch comes at Microsoft continues to warn enterprises about the dangers of AI and agents.
Perhaps the most notable addition is Guardian Agents, a new feature intended to monitor the AI agents a company uses. Guardian Agents is part of Project Perception, a product introduced in June.
Project Perception was Microsoft’s answer to powerful hacking models like Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable and OpenAI’s security vulnerability scanning system Daybreak. Project Perception originally launched three classes of agents: a “red team” that acted like hackers and attacked, a “blue team” that detected the red team and assessed the vulnerabilities they found, and a “green team” tasked with fixing them.
The product was designed around the assumption that AI hackers would come from outside the company. But lately, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been warning that the AI enemy may be the very agents enterprises have deployed and are paying for, much like a rogue human employee, otherwise known as an “insider threat.”
Earlier this month, in his private blog, Nadella warned that it’s time to stop trusting AI model providers, even if they offer assurances of safety and security with their agentic products. He wants enterprises to implement separate systems, not controlled by the AI labs, to watch and control the agents that those AI labs’ products launch.
“We are deploying these complex agentic systems and models, with access to our most sensitive data and giving them the ability to take mission-critical actions on our behalf!” he wrote. “We simply can’t outsource responsibility for what intelligence does on our behalf. A model provider’s assurances do not relieve us of that responsibility. … In other words, we need to separate the supply of intelligence from the authority over it.”
When announcing Guardian Agents, Microsoft’s security business chief Hayete Gallot was even more straightforward.
“Unfortunately, frontier models, regardless of their origin, cannot be trusted,” she wrote, adding that this isn’t because they are malicious or easily hacked, but because they are unpredictable. They have been trained to achieve tasks, not follow “organizational norms or judgment.”
On top of that, they are often given the keys to the kingdom, with access to data and tools that could do serious harm.
Microsoft’s solution is both surprising and self-serving. The surprising side is that Microsoft is famously close to OpenAI and Anthropic, having invested in both. OpenAI is also one of its biggest cloud customers, and Microsoft has its own AI lab developing models. So, Microsoft is sowing distrust against some of its own business interests.
The self-serving side is that Microsoft wants enterprises to buy agent security products from it, the cloud provider, rather than from Anthropic and OpenAI. But conflicting interests aside, its logic is sound. The software that monitors agent behavior should be separate from the suppliers of agents, just as auditors should be independent of the organizations they audit.
Or as Nadella puts it: “We need to separate the supply of intelligence from the authority over it.”
Microsoft is now seizing that business opportunity in a variety of ways. In addition to Guardian Agents, it has added an agent detection feature to its Microsoft Defender product that can find up to 60 types of agents that employees bring into the workplace, including Claude Code, Codex, and OpenClaw. It has also added features that limit agents’ access to data and systems, and dynamically adjust their agent permissions based on the task. That includes requiring human approval if an agent appears to be making risky decisions.
This idea of agents as untrustworthy insiders is taking hold across the broader industry, too.
Microsoft was an inaugural member of Nvidia’s new Open Agent Safety Platform, which garnered the support of more than 100 other tech companies. The platform isolates agents in secure environments and can monitor and stop behavior through hardware, functioning something like a kill switch. This follows Microsoft’s announcement of the new Surface Laptop Ultra PCs built for agents, which run on Nvidia chips and have agent security and controls baked in.
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Julie Bort is the Startups/Venture Desk editor for TechCrunch.
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Nicholas Investment Partners ve druhém čtvrtletí otevřel novou pozici ve společnosti Microsoft, když koupil 14 182 akcií v hodnotě přibližně 5,29 milionu USD.
Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,182 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,290,000.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after purchasing an additional 8,773 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $3,652,000. Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% during the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Taylor Securities Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,616,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week: Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MSFT. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, CLSA restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft
Microsoft Stock Performance NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $529.05 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $553.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.93 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $505.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.16.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.27%.
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Lakewood Capital Management ve druhém čtvrtletí nakoupil 101 534 akcií společnosti Microsoft za přibližně 37,874 milionu USD; tato pozice tvoří 2 % jeho portfolia.
Lakewood Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 101,534 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $37,874,000. Microsoft accounts for about 2.0% of Lakewood Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $18,306,443,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,000,706,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,374,000. Sone Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,533,000. Finally, Trajan Wealth LLC bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $103,382,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
More Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wolfe Research cut Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Melius Research set a $665.00 target price on Microsoft and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Microsoft
Microsoft Stock Performance MSFT stock opened at $529.05 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.93 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $505.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $441.16. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.27%.
Insider Activity In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Front Street Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,485 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,587,000.
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,073,486,000 after purchasing an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in Microsoft by 30.8% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after buying an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Microsoft by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,138,798 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,715,379,000 after buying an additional 1,599,412 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after buying an additional 9,493,778 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MSFT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Microsoft from $550.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Wolfe Research lowered Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their target price on Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $589.71.
View Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT Insider Transactions at Microsoft In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $529.05 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.93 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $505.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $441.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 20.27%.
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Hyperion Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,371 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $884,000. Microsoft accounts for approximately 0.4% of Hyperion Capital Advisors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,073,486,000 after acquiring an additional 60,009,531 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after purchasing an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after purchasing an additional 2,784,809 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after purchasing an additional 9,493,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,138,798 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,715,379,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599,412 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MSFT shares. William Blair began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71.
View Our Latest Analysis on MSFT Key Microsoft News Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. This trade represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Price Performance Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $529.05 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $553.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $505.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $441.16. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. Microsoft’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
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Microsoft nasadí čipy Maia ve vícekigawattovém měřítku od roku 2027; Maia 300 má nabídnout o 40 % více tokenů na megawatt než přední systémy s grafickými procesory.
Microsoft Corp. NASDAQ: MSFT wants to stop renting its AI future from NVIDIA Corp. NASDAQ: NVDA. Its new Maia 300 chip is a clear sign and a potential catalyst ahead of earnings.
Microsoft plans to deploy Maia chips at a multi-gigawatt scale starting in 2027. It expects Maia 300 to deliver 40% more tokens per megawatt than leading GPU-based systems.
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Microsoft Today
$529.05 0.00 (0.00%)
As of 10/16/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
$349.20▼
$553.720.69%
29.46
$589.76
More importantly, Microsoft says Maia will become the primary inference hardware for Microsoft’s own products. That speaks to the question hanging over every AI stock: Is this a bubble?
The bear case is simple. Generative AI is becoming a commodity. Chatbots are interchangeable, and token prices keep falling. Agentic AI may follow the same path. If the product is a commodity, why spend hundreds of billions on data centers?
Falling token prices don't necessarily mean weaker demand. Cheaper tokens can encourage more AI use, especially as agents take on increasingly complex tasks. Commodity markets don’t punish everyone equally, though. They reward the low-cost producer. Maia 300 is Microsoft’s attempt to become that producer.
Investors will get a fresh read on the strategy soon. Microsoft is estimated to report first-quarter fiscal year 2027 (FY2027) results after the close on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Maia 300 Targets the Real Constraint: PowerElectricity availability is becoming a major constraint on data center growth, even as demand increases. That makes tokens per megawatt an important measure of efficiency.
Maia 300's compute chiplets are built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s NYSE: TSM N2P process, and the chip includes eight stacks of HBM4 memory. A full rack holds 96 chips. Microsoft says that a full rack delivers up to seven times the token throughput of a Maia 200 rack.
The chip targets long-context reasoning and multi-step agentic tasks. In other words, it was built for the workloads driving demand today.
Greater efficiency could allow Microsoft to process more AI workloads without a proportional increase in power consumption, potentially improving margins as usage grows.
The scale is meaningful, too. Reuters, citing The Information, reported that Microsoft ultimately aimed to secure manufacturing capacity for more than one million Maia 300 chips, although the company has not confirmed production targets. Microsoft plans to discuss its broader AI strategy at its Ignite conference in November.
Beyond Maia: Physical AI Is a Future CatalystPhysical AI, especially humanoid robots, is a later catalyst. Counterpoint expects global humanoid shipments to top 50,000 units in 2026. That’s small next to agentic demand. But as adoption grows, robotics could create another source of demand for cloud-based AI services.
Microsoft won’t build robots. Instead, it’s positioning itself as the platform that trains, hosts and manages them. In January, Microsoft Research unveiled Rho-alpha, a robotics model that translates natural-language commands into robotic movements and incorporates tactile sensing. Microsoft plans to offer it through its Foundry platform.
The company also partnered with Hexagon Robotics in January to develop industrial humanoid applications, targeting automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and logistics customers. Azure supports the cloud infrastructure behind that effort.
Here’s the link to Maia. Robot training and simulation already use cloud computing, while some inference happens on the robot itself. However, Microsoft is also exploring ways to shift inference workloads to edge and cloud infrastructure. If that approach gains traction, Maia's efficiency improvements could eventually help Microsoft serve those workloads at a lower cost.
Microsoft has not announced plans to use Maia for robotics, so the connection remains a possibility rather than an established use case. None of this will show up in the upcoming results. It’s optionality. But it gives Microsoft a potential second demand curve after AI agents.
Microsoft Stock Nears Highs as Analysts See More UpsideMicrosoft’s chart shows MSFT in recovery mode. Shares rebounded from a midyear low and moved higher following the company's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings beat. After a strong rally in recent months, MSFT is trading near its 52-week high.
Momentum is constructive but not stretched. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains below overbought territory, while the MACD line remains above its signal line. Volume on the recent climb is lighter than during the August breakout. That’s worth watching into earnings.
Analysts remain supportive. MarketBeat-tracked analysts give MSFT a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of approximately $590, suggesting additional upside from recent levels.
What Investors Should Watch in Microsoft's Upcoming EarningsAnalysts expect earnings per share (EPS) of about $4.72 on revenue of $90.6 billion. Last quarter, Microsoft posted adjusted EPS of $4.74, beating the $4.24 estimate.
Azure growth will get most of the attention. Listen closely to the capital expenditure commentary, too. While Maia 300 won't begin deployment until 2027, it could eventually help Microsoft manage the costs of its expanding AI infrastructure. For now, investors will be looking for signs that Azure growth and profitability can justify the company's substantial spending.
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Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 13,170 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $4,913,000. Microsoft accounts for about 2.5% of Cetera Trust Company N.A’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in Microsoft by 56,160.8% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,073,486,000 after purchasing an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after buying an additional 9,814,598 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $8,982,083,000 after buying an additional 9,493,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,138,798 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,715,379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,412 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $589.71.
Get Our Latest Research Report on MSFT Insider Activity In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Microsoft Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $529.05 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.93 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average of $505.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $441.16. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $87.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 20.27%.
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Microsoft These 3 Green Stocks Have a Growth Story That Goes Far Beyond Washington Meta Claims Frontier-Class AI Status With New Muse Wonder Models Berkshire Just Backed This Little-Known Stock—Should You Chase It? Broadcom’s CEO Sees Years of AI Demand But Warns of a Bigger Threat to the Boom Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Microsoft 28. října zveřejní výsledky za první čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2027; klíčové budou růst Azure a rozšiřování Copilotu, který měl k 30. červnu 30 milionů placených licencí.
Volatility gripped the stock market last week amid concerns about the sustainability of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending boom. The S&P 500 experienced a modest decline, but it continues to trade at a historically expensive valuation, so strong corporate earnings will be necessary to keep this bull market going.
As a result, all eyes are on the current reporting season. Microsoft (MSFT -1.93%) will release its operating results for its fiscal 2027 first quarter (ended Sept. 30) on Oct. 28, and Wall Street will be squarely focused on the Azure cloud platform and Copilot virtual assistant, which are central to the company's AI strategy.
Microsoft stock is attractively valued heading into the report, so here's why I predict it will climb in the weeks and months that follow.
Image source: Getty Images.
Positioned to lead the enterprise AI race
AI is a powerful tool in an enterprise because it can dramatically improve productivity by automating tasks, analyzing large volumes of data, and even generating content like images and computer code. Microsoft is helping businesses tap into the power of AI through Copilot and Azure, and both represent enormous opportunities for the company.
The Copilot assistant is embedded in Microsoft's legacy software products like Windows and Edge for free. But enterprises can also add it to the 365 productivity suite (which includes Word and Excel) for an additional monthly subscription fee. As of June 30, organizations worldwide were paying for 30 million Copilot licenses for 365, a staggering 50% increase from just three months earlier.
However, organizations pay for more than 400 million 365 licenses for their employees, so Copilot adoption is still in the very early stages. Investors should keep an eye out for some updated numbers on Oct. 28.
MSFT Microsoft$529.05-$10.39 (-1.93%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/16/26
Then there is the Azure cloud platform, which provides every tool enterprises need to deploy AI software applications. That includes computing capacity from specialized data centers, more than 11,000 ready-made foundation models, and a platform called Foundry where they can design and manage custom AI agents.
Microsoft built 88 new data centers during fiscal 2026 as part of a two-year plan to double its global infrastructure footprint. This will help Azure convert its enormous $678 billion in remaining performance obligations (RPO) into revenue, which effectively represents the platform's order backlog from customers who are waiting for more infrastructure to come online.
Azure's revenue growth accelerated to 43% in the final quarter of fiscal 2026, so the platform was carrying significant momentum into the fiscal 2027 first-quarter earnings report. A further acceleration will be very bullish for Microsoft stock, but so will growth in the company's RPO, because it can be a good indicator of future revenue.
Microsoft stock could soar after Oct. 28, but there is one caveat
Based on Microsoft's fiscal 2026 earnings of $17.95 per share, its stock is trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 30.1, which is a discount to its five-year average of 32. Plus, the stock has a forward P/E of 27.3 based on Wall Street's average fiscal 2027 earnings estimate of $19.78 per share (provided by Yahoo! Finance), leaving even more room for potential upside.
MSFT PE Ratio data by YCharts
Nevertheless, the AI industry faces increasing doubts right now that could jeopardize Microsoft's ability to actually deliver on Wall Street's fiscal 2027 earnings estimate. Labs like OpenAI and Anthropic are facing questions about their valuations and growth rates, which could reduce their ability to raise more money from investors. Moreover, neocloud companies like CoreWeave are dealing with a surge in borrowing costs on concerns they won't be able to deliver on their lofty future projections, which could weigh on the stock market overall.
OpenAI has committed to spend more than $300 billion on Microsoft Azure's cloud services during the next few years, but it doesn't actually have that money today. OpenAI will have to increase its revenue significantly and also raise more money to meet all of its commitments, so if it fails on either front, Microsoft's RPO could take a hit.
For all of those reasons, the first-quarter earnings report is likely to set the tone for Microsoft stock for at least the next few months. I think there could be upside ahead based on its attractive valuation, and the sheer size of its RPO –- even if we exclude OpenAI's contribution entirely, Azure is still likely to be backlogged for the next couple of years. However, investors might want to manage their risk by using a small position size given the uncertain environment.
Akcie společnosti Microsoft za poslední měsíc vzrostly zhruba o 8 % poté, co tržby Azure poprvé překonaly 100 mld. USD, což představuje meziroční nárůst o 41 %.
Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks are having a rough time lately as some investors question the high costs of building data center infrastructure. And it likely won't slow down any time soon. Estimates from S&P Global show that AI infrastructure spending could surpass $1.3 trillion globally next year.
And investors are increasingly concerned that spending all of this spending may not turn into significant sales or earnings for the leading AI companies.
But Microsoft (MSFT -1.93%) is bucking the downward trend. Its shares have gained around 8% over the past month on optimism about its Azure cloud computing growth and its latest Copilot AI update.
Here's why investors are right to be optimistic about Microsoft's long-term AI prospects.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Azure growth proves Microsoft's AI investments are working Microsoft reported its Q4 fiscal 2026 results in July and said at the time that "Customer demand continues to exceed available capacity" for its Azure cloud services.
The surge in demand for Azure services was driven by customers needing more AI capacity, resulting in Azure cloud revenue surpassing $100 billion for the first time -- a 41% increase from the previous year.
Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud revenue, which includes Azure, accounts for about 44% of the company's total revenue. So a significant increase in Azure sales is an important indicator that the company is making the right moves to tap into the rising demand for AI cloud services.
That's important for two reasons. The first is that the AI cloud market will accelerate, reaching an estimated $2 trillion globally by 2030. Microsoft's Azure is already a leading player, holding the second-largest global cloud market share at 21%.
Second, it shows that Microsoft's big AI investments are paying off. The company will spend about $175 billion this year on capital expenditures, most of it on AI infrastructure.
That's a huge sum of money, but Azure's rising sales and the $100 billion in annual revenue show that, at least so far, it's been money well spent. And management estimates that Azure revenue will increase by 45% in fiscal 2027, which should put to rest any worries investors have about Microsoft's ability to continue converting AI investment into sales.
MSFT Microsoft$529.05-$10.39 (-1.93%)
NASDAQ · As of 4:00 PM ET 10/16/26
Copilot proves Microsoft can still adapt to new software trends Azure may make the headlines for Microsoft these days, but the company's software moves are also a big part of its AI strategy.
Microsoft's new Copilot app can run on a desktop, similar to Anthropic's Claude, and help users code, has more workplace integrations, and completes some tasks autonomously. Microsoft wants it to be the new "OS for work," and its long-standing appeal to enterprise users means it has a good chance of benefiting from this space for years to come.
Even before the new Copilot version launched, the app had 30 million paid subscribers, a 50% jump from just a few months prior.
All of this matters because enterprise companies are increasingly shifting their focus from traditional software to AI capabilities. Research firm Gartner said recently that companies no longer want new features; they want "better outcomes" from AI. With Microsoft's new Copilot, the company is leaning into that sentiment by putting AI at the core of its products.
With its current trajectory, Microsoft could likely double its paid Copilot seats by the end of fiscal 2027.
A great long-term AI play With Microsoft's emphasis on AI enterprise software and its expanding Azure sales, the company is well-positioned to continue tapping into AI over the long term.
And considering that its shares have a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 27 -- compared to the tech sector average P/E ratio of 33 -- Microsoft stock also looks like a relatively good deal right now.
Ames National Corp. ve druhém čtvrtletí nakoupila 15 736 akcií společnosti Microsoft za přibližně 5,87 milionu USD; tato pozice tvoří 3,2 % jejího portfolia.
Ames National Corp bought a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 15,736 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,870,000. Microsoft accounts for 3.2% of Ames National Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Sequent Planning LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Microsoft Price Performance NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $529.05 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $349.20 and a 52-week high of $553.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $505.53 and a 200 day moving average of $440.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.93 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.65 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Melius Research set a $665.00 price objective on Microsoft and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. William Blair started coverage on Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Microsoft from $700.00 to $725.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Microsoft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $530.00 to $575.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71.
View Our Latest Analysis on Microsoft
Insider Activity at Microsoft In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares in the company, valued at $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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Asset One Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 96,016 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $37,987,000. Microsoft comprises about 4.0% of Asset One Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position.
Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in Microsoft by 56,160.8% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 60,116,384 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,073,486,000 after acquiring an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,426,862,000 after purchasing an additional 9,814,598 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Microsoft by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,852,884,000 after buying an additional 2,784,809 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Microsoft by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $8,982,083,000 after acquiring an additional 9,493,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,138,798 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $10,715,379,000 after buying an additional 1,599,412 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. The trade was a 7.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Bank of America raised their price target on Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Microsoft from $515.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71. Get Our Latest Analysis on MSFT
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Microsoft Stock Down 1.9% Shares of MSFT opened at $529.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.93 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $349.20 and a 52 week high of $553.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $505.53 and a 200-day moving average of $440.59.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.65 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 20.27%.
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery
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Společnost D.B. Root & Company ve druhém čtvrtletí nově nakoupila 9 790 akcií společnosti Microsoft za 3,652 milionu USD; tato pozice tvoří 0,8 % jejího portfolia.
D.B. Root & Company LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,790 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,652,000. Microsoft makes up 0.8% of D.B. Root & Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% during the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $85,604,000 after acquiring an additional 8,773 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in Microsoft by 0.4% during the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $199,014,000 after purchasing an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Microsoft by 8.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $2,562,197,000 after purchasing an additional 537,634 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Securities Services Inc. bought a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,616,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its stake in Microsoft by 138.8% in the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 1,356,359 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $502,077,000 after purchasing an additional 788,297 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Microsoft from $522.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Wolfe Research cut shares of Microsoft from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Forty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $589.71.
Read Our Latest Report on Microsoft Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total value of $3,984,293.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total value of $4,878,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. This represents a 9.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft Price Performance NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $529.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $505.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $440.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.93 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.98 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.
About Microsoft (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Microsoft Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Microsoft and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Dearborn Partners LLC ve druhém čtvrtletí koupila 190 461 akcií společnosti Microsoft v hodnotě přibližně 70 503 000 USD; tento titul tvoří 3,8 % jejího portfolia.
Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 190,461 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $70,503,000. Microsoft accounts for 3.8% of Dearborn Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.7% in the second quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,473 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 6.2% in the first quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 431 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $160,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Sequent Planning LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the second quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 687 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% in the first quarter. Riverpoint Wealth Management Holdings LLC now owns 5,543 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,052,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity at Microsoft In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,924,086.32. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Microsoft Price Performance Shares of MSFT stock opened at $529.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.93 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $553.72. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $505.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $440.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.65 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.27%.
Microsoft News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Microsoft to remain the only major hyperscaler with positive free cash flow over the next year despite heavy AI investment. This reinforces confidence that the company can fund data-center expansion without substantial external financing. Microsoft Free Cash Flow Expected to Remain Positive Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed a 20-year agreement with NiSource for approximately 1,100 megawatts of power for an Indiana data-center campus beginning in 2028. Securing electricity supports future Azure capacity as grid constraints become a bottleneck for AI expansion. Microsoft Signs Power Deal With NiSource Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom Maia AI chips and reports that a new model achieved comparable or better performance than OpenAI’s system using a fraction of the computing power could eventually reduce reliance on expensive third-party GPUs and improve AI economics. Microsoft Wants to Make AI Cheaper Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization and capital expenditures ahead of earnings. Strong demand could support the shares, but the market wants evidence that revenue growth is translating into sustainable margins. Negative Sentiment: The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s grip on business software and says Microsoft and Amazon Web Services may need to do more to address cloud-service barriers. Potential remedies could increase compliance costs or weaken customer-lock-in advantages. UK Regulator Targets Microsoft’s Business Software Grip Negative Sentiment: Questions remain over whether custom chips will deliver meaningful savings: AI infrastructure, power and data-center commitments are rising rapidly, while Microsoft is reportedly seeking substantial cost reductions in Azure. That creates concern about near-term free-cash-flow and margin pressure. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms recently commented on MSFT. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, October 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $660.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Forty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $589.71.
View Our Latest Analysis on MSFT
Microsoft Profile (Free Report)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.
The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Rocket Lab’s Neutron Delay Leaves Wall Street Bullish But Raises the Stakes for 2027 ManpowerGroup Stock Sinks on Q3 Results, But Fundamentals Stay Solid Does the AI Selloff Put Alphabet’s Breakout in Doubt? Bank Earnings Are Mixed—These 2 ETFs Offer Very Different Paths to a Recovery Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report).
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