Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report)’s share price dropped 1.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $397.16 and last traded at $397.36. Approximately 30,448,169 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 35,765,871 shares. The stock had previously closed at $403.41.
Key Microsoft News
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI and cloud strategy continues to look strong, with recent coverage highlighting expanded agentic AI partnerships, new Azure Cobalt VMs, and Copilot adoption that could support long-term revenue growth.
- Positive Sentiment: MN8 Energy said two utility-scale solar projects totaling 260 MW are now online under long-term power purchase agreements with Microsoft, reinforcing the company’s massive AI/data-center energy buildout and commitment to securing power for future cloud growth. Article
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also appeared alongside Twelve at the opening of AirPlant One, a commercial e-fuel facility, underscoring its participation in industrial decarbonization and broader AI infrastructure ecosystems. Article
- Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary remains mixed, with some analysts arguing Microsoft still has valuation upside and a durable long-term moat, while others note that AI monetization timelines may take longer than investors hoped.
- Negative Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly limited employee use of Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 because of data-retention concerns, which may reflect tighter internal controls around third-party AI tools rather than a direct business setback. Article
- Negative Sentiment: Shares were also pressured by reports that Xbox is rethinking Project Helix amid AI-related supply shortages, adding to investor worries that AI demand is increasing costs and complicating hardware plans. Article
- Negative Sentiment: Additional pressure came from headlines about Azure layoffs in China and security concerns after hackers targeted Microsoft’s GitHub projects, both of which can weigh on sentiment around execution and risk management. Article
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Dbs Bank cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $678.00 to $573.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Microsoft from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $525.00 price target (up from $450.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Forty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $561.20.
Microsoft Trading Down 1.5%
The business’s 50 day moving average price is $409.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $430.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $2.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.11.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Microsoft
In other news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.99, for a total transaction of $7,145,345.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,928,792.23. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Microsoft
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Microsoft by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,658,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 410.4% in the 3rd quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $9,735,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Microsoft Company Profile
Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.
Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).
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