Brokerages Set Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Target Price at $561.20

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the forty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and forty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $560.8636.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MSFT shares. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial lowered Microsoft from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, May 13th.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish voices argue the selloff has made Microsoft look oversold, with analysts and strategists like Dan Ives calling the pullback a buying opportunity and pointing to Microsoft’s long-term AI and cloud strength. Dan Ives Says the $3 Trillion Tech Wipeout Is a Buying Opportunity. Here’s His Case
• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed long-dated call options on Microsoft, a signal that at least one high-profile investor sees significant upside over the next several years. “Big Short” Legend Michael Burry Just Bet Big on Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also announced new enterprise partnerships, including integrations that expand its cloud, AI, and cybersecurity ecosystem, which supports the long-term growth story. Microsoft (MSFT) Expands Operations With a New Strategic Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame the stock’s recent weakness as a value-versus-trap debate, reflecting uncertainty rather than a clear new catalyst. Microsoft Stock: Value Trap or Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is also facing fresh regulatory and legal scrutiny, including an EU gatekeeper review, an Italy antitrust probe, and a copyright lawsuit tied to AI training data, which adds headline risk. Microsoft (MSFT) Faces EU Gatekeeper Move And Italy Antitrust Probe
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment has also turned more cautious, with Stifel cutting its price target and keeping a Hold rating amid margin concerns. Stifel Lowers PT on Microsoft (MSFT), Maintains a Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Investor lawsuits and class-action notices related to alleged securities fraud and Copilot deficiencies are adding to sentiment pressure around the stock. Deadline Alert: Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP About Securities Fraud Lawsuit

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total value of $1,812,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,122,009.12. This represents a 8.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Microsoft by 27.0% during the first 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. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% during the second 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 lifted its stake in Microsoft by 410.4% during the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,735,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $368.57 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $409.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $420.11. Microsoft has a 1 year low of $349.20 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Microsoft will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.67%.

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).