<div id="readability-page-1"><ul><li>Why VGT May Be a Smarter Bet Than Chasing Individual Tech Stocks</li></ul><p>Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Microsoft in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, October 30th. DA Davidson analyst G. Luria anticipates that the software giant will earn $3.97 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Microsoft's current full-year earnings is $13.08 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Microsoft's FY2027 earnings at $18.13 EPS.</p><p>Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 33.47% and a net margin of 35.71%.Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share.  Microsoft has set its Q2 2026 guidance at  EPS.</p><ul><li>Equinix Stock Rises Despite Lower Revenue Guidance</li></ul><p>Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. DZ Bank  restated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. Cowen  restated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer  restated an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo &amp; Company raised their target price on Microsoft from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and one  has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Buy&#34; and an average target price of $634.67.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Research Report on MSFT</b></p><h2>Microsoft Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Why Microsoft's Post-Earnings Dip Is a Buy-the-Pause Moment</li></ul><p>NASDAQ MSFT opened at $525.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $513.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $485.93. Microsoft has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.35. </p><h2>Microsoft Increases Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This is a boost from Microsoft's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Microsoft's payout ratio is 24.34%. </p><h2>Insider Activity at Microsoft</h2><p>In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $527.32, for a total transaction of $2,557,502.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,624,012.52. This trade represents a 11.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 149,205 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $504.78, for a total value of $75,315,699.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 790,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $399,206,272.56. This trade represents a 15.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft</h2><p>Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in  Microsoft during the third quarter worth $16,884,000.  Inlet Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 0.6% in the third quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,590 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $20,505,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter.  Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 1.3% in the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 1,261,511 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $653,400,000 after buying an additional 15,800 shares in the last quarter.  Latitude Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 2.9% in the third quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 7,111 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,683,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Davidson Kahn Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 0.3% in the third quarter. Davidson Kahn Capital Management LLC now owns 9,365 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $4,851,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  71.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Microsoft Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Microsoft</li><li>Why is the Ex-Dividend Date Significant to Investors?</li><li>NU Stock: U.S. Bank License May Be the Next Growth Catalyst</li><li>The 3 Best Retail Stocks to Shop for in August</li><li>5 Stocks to Stuff Your Portfolio This November</li><li>3 Stocks to Consider Buying in October</li><li>Why Microsoft's Post-Earnings Dip Is a Buy-the-Pause Moment</li></ul> <p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/EarningsEstimatesChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TVNGVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="325" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/EarningsEstimatesChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TVNGVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Microsoft Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Microsoft, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Microsoft wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Microsoft currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

MSFT

MSFL

MSFO

MSFD

MSFU

MSFX

MSFY

<p>Investment analysts at DA Davidson have set expectations for Microsoft's Q2 2026 earnings, estimating $3.97 EPS. The consensus for the current full-year earnings is $13.08 EPS. Microsoft recently reported $4.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.91, with a yield of 0.7%. Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Buy" for Microsoft, with a target price averaging $634.67. Insider trading activity includes significant stock sales by executives.</p>

- DA Davidson estimates Microsoft's Q2 2026 earnings per share at $3.97, with a full-year estimate of $13.08.  
- Microsoft reported $4.13 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations, and had a revenue of $77.67 billion, up 18.4% year-over-year.  
- The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.91, reflecting a payout ratio of 24.34%, while institutional investors hold 71.13% of its stock.  

Equities Analysts Set Expectations for Microsoft Q2 Earnings