Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Stock Price Up 1.1% – Here’s What Happened

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $400.63 and last traded at $399.95. 27,587,337 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 36,659,281 shares. The stock had previously closed at $395.55.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched or joined new anti-scam initiatives and coalitions that can strengthen user trust across services and reduce fraud-related friction — a modest catalyst for consumer and enterprise reputation around Microsoft’s identity/security and cloud offerings. Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Tips Up With New Scam-Fighting Coalition
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and strategists are calling the pullback a buying opportunity and flagging MSFT as undervalued, which can attract bargain hunters and support near-term buying. Positive commentary includes buy/“sale” narratives and bullish takes on Microsoft’s long-term AI positioning. Microsoft is ‘long-term winner’ in AI arms race—sell-off is buying ‘opportunity,’ says Don Nesbitt
• Positive Sentiment: Monetization of AI (Copilot/GitHub Copilot and new ~$99 AI subscription talk) is highlighted as a recurring-revenue growth engine — investors view faster Copilot adoption and subscription rollouts as direct upside to revenue and margins. Will a New $99 AI Subscription Move the Needle for Microsoft Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Microsoft vs. Alphabet and other software giants stresses Microsoft’s entrenched enterprise footprint and nuance in AI competition — useful for longer-term positioning but not an immediate price driver. Microsoft (MSFT) vs Alphabet (GOOGL): Which Tech Giant Wins the AI Battle?
• Neutral Sentiment: Big-tech purchases of carbon credits (with Microsoft leading) signal ESG commitments but also rising operating/capital considerations as data-center energy needs grow — reputational plus, potential cost pressure. Big Tech purchases of carbon credits explode amid AI race, with Microsoft leading the way
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses flag massive off‑balance-sheet data center lease commitments across hyperscalers (Microsoft among the leaders). If revenue growth from AI workloads lags, these obligations could pressure margins and investor sentiment. Data Center Leases: Is Spending Mindful Of Revenues?
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish headlines and investor moves add caution: a Seeking Alpha piece highlights competition/geopolitical concentration risks and a downgrade narrative, and reports show large investors (e.g., Peter Thiel’s fund) trimmed MSFT — both can amplify volatility during pullbacks. Microsoft: Macrohard, Competition, And War-Related Fears (Rating Downgrade) Peter Thiel Sells 3 AI Stocks

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MSFT. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.

Microsoft Stock Up 1.1%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $427.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $475.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $2.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.23 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Microsoft

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IRON Financial LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,225 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,941,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,373 shares in the last quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 18,340 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $9,499,000 after purchasing an additional 2,247 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Microsoft

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).