Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by analysts at Guggenheim in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $586.00 price target on the software giant’s stock. Guggenheim’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 53.52% from the stock’s current price.
Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $502.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on Microsoft from $556.00 to $555.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.40.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft
Microsoft Price Performance
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The business had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft will post 16.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total value of $1,812,780.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 47,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,122,009.12. The trade was a 8.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. The trade was a 2.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Trading of Microsoft
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,664,631,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 60,009,531 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 1st quarter valued at about $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 500.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 59,543,261 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $30,840,432,000 after buying an additional 49,618,571 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 49,640.3% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,905,904,000 after buying an additional 29,906,791 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
Microsoft News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Falling interest rates are supporting technology stocks, potentially improving the valuation of Microsoft and other long-duration growth companies. NVDA, MSFT, and ORCL Forecasts – Tech Stocks Gap Higher as Rates Drop
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft has joined Nvidia, SpaceX and other technology companies in an AI safety initiative to develop open-source tools for defending against AI-related cyberattacks. The effort could strengthen Microsoft’s cybersecurity positioning and industry relationships. Nvidia, SpaceX, Microsoft launch AI safety initiative
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst and financial-media coverage continues to describe Microsoft as an attractive value among major AI companies, citing its approximately 23 P/E ratio, Azure expansion and potential upside if AI investments generate stronger returns. Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now: Microsoft or Nvidia?
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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