Shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) traded up 1.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $373.64 and last traded at $373.46. 23,890,495 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 36,233,371 shares. The stock had previously closed at $369.37.
Trending Headlines about Microsoft
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched proprietary high‑performance MAI models (MAI‑Transcribe, MAI‑Voice, MAI‑Image) — a strategic push to reduce dependence on partner models and accelerate AI product monetization; analysts highlighted this as underpinning revenue/AI bookings upside. Microsoft Challenges OpenAI With Faster, In-House ‘MAI’ Models
- Positive Sentiment: Big infrastructure commitments: MSFT is moving ahead with multibillion dollar projects (including ~$5.5B to Singapore and ~$1B to Thailand) to expand AI/cloud capacity where demand is growing — supports longer‑term Azure growth and enterprise AI monetization. Microsoft on track to invest $5.5 billion in Singapore by 2029
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and price‑target activity lifted sentiment — Benchmark and other firms initiated/maintained Buy ratings and raised targets, framing the pullback as a buying opportunity for long‑term AI/cloud exposure. Microsoft Is an ‘AI Juggernaut.’ You Should Buy MSFT Stock Here, According to Benchmark Analysts
- Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is in exclusive talks with Chevron/Engine No. 1 on a power‑supply project for a large Texas data‑center campus — could de‑risk energy for hyperscale AI buildouts but remains an exploratory deal. Microsoft, Chevron and Engine No. 1 sign exclusive deal for power supply
- Negative Sentiment: Billionaire investor Dan Loeb (and other funds) trimmed MSFT positions citing cloud growth and Azure supply concerns — active selling by some large holders adds downward pressure and feeds investor caution. Billionaire Investor Reduces Microsoft Stake Amid Cloud Growth Concerns
- Negative Sentiment: Macro/operational worries: Microsoft reported its steepest quarterly stock drop since 2008 (investor anxiety around AI capex ROI, Copilot adoption and Azure capacity constraints); mixed guidance and supply‑chain capacity limits (chip/data‑center capacity) remain headline risks. Microsoft Just Had Its Worst Quarter Since 2008–Is This a Generational “Buy” Signal?
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $588.97.
Microsoft Price Performance
The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $404.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $464.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.10.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.
Microsoft Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 22.76%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Microsoft
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IRON Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 23.2% during the third quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 6,510 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,372,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $9,941,000. PMG Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth $828,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,816,000 after purchasing an additional 2,373 shares during the period. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 70,175 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,572 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.
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).
See Also
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.
