<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $489.60 and last traded at $483.98. 26,748,052 shares were traded  during trading, an increase of 20% from the average session volume of 22,268,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $476.12.</p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>MRVL, AMZN and MSFT: Breaking Down the Wall Street Controversy</li></ul><p>MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co.  reissued a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. DA Davidson  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating and set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Arete Research boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $710.00 to $730.00 in a report on Monday, October 27th. Barclays  reaffirmed an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and issued a $625.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Microsoft to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned  a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $631.03.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Report on MSFT</b></p><h2>Microsoft Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Oracle Stock Hit Hard: Why Its AI Pipeline Could Drive a 2026 Rally</li></ul><p>The firm has a market capitalization of $3.60 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $501.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $502.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.39. </p><p>Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm had revenue of $77.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis.  On average, analysts forecast that  Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Microsoft Dividend Announcement</h2><ul><li>Walmart’s NASDAQ Switch Could Change Everything for WMT Stock</li></ul><p>The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's payout ratio is 25.89%. </p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $239,402,668.08. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft</h2><p>Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. raised its stake in  Microsoft by 9.4% in the third quarter. Alternative Investment Advisors LLC. now owns 2,520 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,305,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter.  Financial Symmetry Inc boosted its position in  Microsoft by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Symmetry Inc now owns 2,378 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,232,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter.  Keel Point LLC increased its holdings in shares of  Microsoft by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 57,722 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $29,897,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period.  Mirabella Financial Services LLP raised its position in shares of  Microsoft by 83.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 66,598 shares of the software giant's stock worth $34,427,000 after acquiring an additional 30,303 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Farmers National Bank lifted its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 50,678 shares of the software giant's stock worth $26,249,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  71.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Microsoft</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>Profitably Trade Stocks at 52-Week Highs</li><li>Broadcom Stock Crashes 20%—But Wall Street Sees It Soaring to $500</li><li>Investing in Construction Stocks</li><li>Forget the Chips: 4 Industrial Plays for the AI Rebound</li><li>Buy P&amp;G Now, Before It Sets A New All-Time High</li><li>MongoDB Could Hit Record Highs—But You’ll Need to Move Fast</li></ul><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 reporting and unbiased coverage. 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 Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Microsoft's stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) rose 1.7% during mid-day trading, reaching a high of $489.60. Analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating with a consensus target price of $631.03. The company reported strong quarterly earnings, with EPS of $4.13, surpassing expectations. Microsoft announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, payable on March 12th. Insiders sold shares worth $27.6 million in the last 90 days. Institutional investors have adjusted their holdings in the company.</p>

- Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) saw a 1.7% increase in share prices, trading last at $483.98 with a substantial trading volume of over 26 million shares.  
- Analysts have generally rated Microsoft positively, with multiple "buy" ratings and a consensus target price of $631.03, following a strong quarterly earnings report that exceeded revenue expectations.  
- The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, indicating a payout ratio of 25.89%, while institutional investors hold approximately 71.13% of the stock.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Shares Up 1.7% - What's Next?