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☆ A big-cap tech has been surprisingly lagging the software stock breakout. That may be about to change
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Frank Cappelleri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) has been getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. Things have recently accelerated in November, and Tuesday, the IGV Software ETF was one of just three ETFs we track to make new all-time highs. Within the IGV Software ETF, it also has the third biggest weighting, but it's behind both CRM and ORCL. More importantly, MSFT has been noticeably lagging the IGV ETF across various time frames. The potential good news is that: 1. the ratio line remains in a long-term uptrend and 2. the last two oversold conditions happened near major relative trading lows.

Persons: IGV, MSFT, it's Organizations: Software Sector, Technology Trust, IGV Software, Microsoft, NASDAQ, Software, CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL Locations: MSFT

☆ Using options to manage risk heading into Microsoft earnings next week
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Tony Zhang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Heading into earnings next week, Microsoft is positioned to continue capitalizing on the growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing services, underscored by the cloud revenue growth reported by Alphabet this week. The company's leading position in the AI and cloud computing makes it a compelling earnings trade for next week. MSFT has recently pulled back to a significant support level at $430, which has previously acted as a resistance. This pullback provides a favorable entry point with reduced downside risk after bouncing off that level this week. Microsoft's relative strength to the S & P 500 and momentum are also positive heading into earnings.

Persons: MSFT, Zhang Organizations: Microsoft, Industry, CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL Locations: MSFT

☆ Top Wall Street analysts recommend these stocks for the long haul
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Against that uncertain backdrop, Wall Street analysts are focused on identifying stocks with solid fundamentals and strong long-term growth prospects. In that climate, here are three stocks favored by the Street's top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Finally, Feinseth mentioned Microsoft's strong financial position, which supports enhanced shareholder returns and enables investments in the company's AI ambitions. The company's Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange platform securely connects users, devices and applications by protecting them from cyberattacks and data loss. Following the Zenith Live 2024 event, Baird analyst Shrenik Kothari reaffirmed a buy rating on Zscaler stock with a price target of $260.

Persons: Kevin Scott, TD Cowen, Helane Becker, Becker, TipRanks, OpenAI, Ivan Feinseth, Feinseth, Baird, Shrenik Kothari, Zscaler, Kothari Organizations: Microsoft, Technology, Artificial, Seattle Convention Center, Federal Reserve, Street, Delta Air, Delta Air Lines, DAL, Delta, Activision Blizzard, Zero, Zenith Locations: Seattle, Seattle , Washington, Toronto, Delta

☆ Microsoft earnings are coming up. Here’s what traders are looking for in the report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors will be looking to see if Microsoft's report can restart the rally, but the bar for success might be high. The AI narrative Microsoft is viewed as one of the companies best-positioned to take advantage of recent advances in artificial intelligence. Another area is Copilot , the AI tool that Microsoft is packaging with its Office suite of software products. "That said, we expect AI contribution to Azure growth to increase w/ our checks pointing to strong demand for Azure AI services & elevated workloads as more models go into production. Wall Street is overwhelmingly positive on the stock, with more than 90% of the analysts covering Microsoft giving it a rating of "buy" or "strong buy," according to LSEG.

Persons: Jefferies, Brent Thill, MSFT's, LSEG, Brad Reback, Reback, MSFT, Guggenheim, John DiFucci, DiFucci, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Microsoft, Investors, Wall Street Locations: MSFT, F4Q

☆ Top Wall Street analysts are confident in the long-term potential of these stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Wall Street analysts can help investors identify stocks that have what it takes to thrive amid short-term headwinds — and that can offer attractive returns going forward. Here are five stocks favored by Wall Street's top analysts, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Apple's overall revenue declined for the fourth consecutive quarter due to notable declines in iPad and Mac sales. Zelnick raised his price target from $380 to $395 and reiterated a buy rating on MSFT stock. Following the Q3 2023 print, Zelnick maintained a buy rating on NOW stock and increased the price target to $650 from $625.

Persons: Aly Song, Wall, Baird, William Power, Power, TipRanks, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Sheridan, Brad Zelnick, Zelnick Organizations: Apple, Reuters Companies, Wall Street, Apple Tech, Apple's Services, Services, North America, Web Services, AWS, TipRanks, Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, Fortune, Software, U.S Locations: Shanghai, China, ServiceNow

☆ An options trade with a high probability of success into Microsoft's earnings after the bell
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Nishant Pant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Setting up the Earning Iron Condor Selling an Iron Condor is an options trading strategy where you simultaneously sell out-of-the-money call spreads and put spreads. Most trading platforms will allow traders to put this trade as one unit by selecting "Sell Iron Condor" as the trade structure. 80% probability of success, as is the nature of high probability trading, the risk is higher than the max profit. (Try an unbalanced Iron Condor) This trade has 80% chance of success based on options probabilities. The put spread has a 90% probability of success and the call spread has the original 80% probability of success.

Persons: MSFT Organizations: Microsoft, Condor, Iron Condor, Traders Locations: MSFT

☆ Stocks like Microsoft have more room to run, as analysts name their top fourth-quarter picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wall Street analysts have issued their lists of top stocks for the fourth quarter, and a slate of familiar names made the cut. These companies are firing on all cylinders and have more room to run, they said. They include Nvidia , Microsoft, Boeing and T-Mobile. Microsoft Buy any dip in the tech giant's shares, Wells Fargo said earlier this week. In addition, Boeing is in a "premier position" with its jumbo jet manufacturing as the company maintains a large market share, the firm said.

Persons: Wells Fargo, Michael Turrin, ROY, Wells, Mobile Goldman Sachs, Brett Feldman, Feldman, Goldman, Ronald Epstein, AeroSystems, Epstein, Grace, Hopper, C27E, …, Goldman Sachs Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, Microsoft, Boeing, Mobile, Sprint, Boeing Global, Bank of America, Mizuho, ~$

☆ Analysts left Microsoft's AI event feeling even more bullish about the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Commentary and demonstrations from Microsoft 's recent AI-focused Envision event are giving Wall Street more reasons to get bullish on the technology giant. At the event held in New York on Wednesday, Microsoft highlighted generative artificial intelligence solutions and capabilities, including its Copilot subscription service. The company announced pricing earlier this year for the product, which adds AI capabilities to Microsoft's Office suite. Other Wall Street analysts also reiterated their buy ratings on shares, including Citi's Tyler Radke and Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan. A growing backlog in AI product demand should convert to more paying users as enterprises hunt for "high-[return on investment], quick time-to-value solutions," he added.

Persons: OpenAI, Gregg Moskowitz, Citi's Tyler Radke, Goldman Sachs, Kash Rangan, Rangan, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Microsoft, Wall Locations: New York, ChatGPT

☆ Karen Firestone: What investors should know about megacap stocks’ market influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Karen Firestone | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

These four are responsible for 46% of the 17% gain in the S & P 500 year to date. In 2003, the largest stocks – General Electric , Microsoft, Pfizer and Exxon Mobil – represented merely 4.4% of the total index market value. By 2013, the share commanded by giants Apple, Exxon, Microsoft and GE rose to 8.9% of the S & P 500. That's still below their 21% market value share, but it helps explain what investors are paying for: exceptional free cash flow and sustainable margins. The S & P 500 will struggle without participation from its biggest components.

Persons: That's, Price, Karen Firestone Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Delta Air Lines, Micron Technology, Electric, Pfizer, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, GE, U.S, Union, Asset Management

☆ Microsoft shares fall after earnings report as analysts process a delayed A.I. ramp
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft shares were trading down as much as 5% on Wednesday, a day after the software maker issued worse-than-expected quarterly revenue guidance. Microsoft has been increasing its capital expenditures to get infrastructure in place to provide AI services to developers at other companies and roll out assistant capabilities to apps such as Word and Outlook. The extra spending cuts into Microsoft's cloud gross margin. "The messaging on Copilot was more about tempering rather than inflating expectations," wrote UBS analysts led by Karl Keirstead, which also has a buy rating on Microsoft. Raymond James' Andrew Marok and Mauricio Munoz, with the equivalent of a buy rating on Microsoft shares, had a similar tone.

Persons: Amy Hood, Mark Murphy, Karl Keirstead, It's, Brad Reback, Raymond James, Andrew Marok, Mauricio Munoz, Satya Nadella, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Microsoft, JPMorgan, UBS

☆ Why we're raising our price target on Microsoft despite a softer revenue outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Revenues beat across the board, Azure's revenue growth decelerated in line with expectations, and companywide operating margins expanded nicely from last year. But total revenues fell a little less than expected, at 4%, mostly due to a 12% decline in Windows OEM revenue and a 18% drop in devices revenue growth. Gaming revenue grew 2%, with Xbox content and services revenue up 6%, offset by a 13% decline in Xbox hardware. In the productivity and business processes segment, revenue increased about 10% from last year thanks to a 15% increase in Office 365 Commercial Revenue growth. Microsoft sees Azure revenue growing 25% to 26% in constant currency, including roughly 2 points from all Azure AI services.

Persons: Amy Hood, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Satya Nadella, Flipkart, Nadella, Amit Madheshiya Organizations: Microsoft, Revenue, Refinitiv, Revenues, Services, Activision Blizzard, Office Consumer Products, Nvidia, CNBC, Microsoft Corp, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Mumbai, India

☆ 3 of our stocks get price target hikes on Wall Street — one of them is a really big call
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. Watch GEHC and Danaher Evercore ISI bumped up its GE Healthcare (GEHC) price target to $92 from $90 and kept its outperform rating. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Stocks, Meta, Microsoft Keybanc, Morgan Stanley, Danaher, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Microsoft, GE Healthcare, ISI Locations: U.S, There's

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Eli Lilly, Broadcom, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bank of America upgrades XP to buy from neutral Bank of America said the Brazilian investment company's shares will re-rate higher. JPMorgan reiterates Amazon as overweight JPMorgan reiterated the stock as a top idea and said it sees a runway for more growth for Amazon Prime. " Deutsche Bank adds a catalyst call buy on Walgreens Deutsche says it's bullish heading into earnings next week. Bank of America reiterates Eli Lilly as buy Bank of America said the biopharma company is still one of the firm's favorite ideas. Bank of America reiterates Broadcom as buy Bank of America raised its price target on AI beneficiary Broadcom to $1,050 per share from $950.

Persons: Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Wells, Bud, Bud Light, Bernstein, Kellogg, underperform Bernstein, Morgan Stanley downgrades Tesla, Morgan Stanley, Tesla, " Bank of America downgrades Dow, DOW, it's, Riley, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Raymond James, Alcoa, Piper Sandler, Piper Organizations: Bank of America, of America, Deutsche Bank, Anheuser Busch InBev, Deutsche, Nielsen, JPMorgan, Amazon Prime, Kellogg, " Bank of America, Walgreens Deutsche, Microsoft, Apple, Developers, Broadcom, Alcoa, Citi, Boston Scientific Citi, PFA, Card Locations: Brazil

☆ Microsoft is sprinkling OpenAI everywhere to try and keep software makers interested in its platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In this article MSFT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTMicrosoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella speaks to attendees at Microsoft's Build conference in Seattle on May 23, 2023. "Every layer of the software stack is going to be changed forever and no better place to start than the actual developer stack," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during his Build keynote address on Tuesday. It's crucial for third-party developers to enrich Microsoft's own software properties, such as the Microsoft 365 productivity software bundle. Greg Brockman, OpenAI president and co-founder, and Kevin Scott, Microsoft chief technology officer, speak onstage at Microsoft's Build conference in Seattle on May 23, 2023. WATCH: Microsoft Build 2023 unveils plugins and products that incorporate A.I.

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Amazon, Tesla, CVS, Microsoft, XPO, AT&T, Spotify & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America says it's bullish heading into Alphabet earnings next week. JPMorgan reiterates Amazon as a best idea JPMorgan says it's bullish heading into the e-commerce giant's earnings report next week. "We continue to see streaming music & audio as an attractive growth market and remain OW WMG and SPOT." Stephens initiates SentinelOne as overweight Stephens initiated the cyber security company with an overweight and says it has "best-in-class growth." JPMorgan reiterates Charles Schwab as overweight JPMorgan says Charles Schwab could be worth more if it were to "de-bank."

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Meta, Harley-Davidson, Exxon, Amazon, Roblox & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley upgrades Meta to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said it sees a more "structurally" disciplined company. " Morgan Stanley upgrades Emerson Electric to overweight from neutral Morgan Stanley said shares of the multinational tech company are too attractive to ignore. Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said Microsoft is a long-term threat to Apple that's worth watching. Morgan Stanley upgrades Harley-Davidson to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the stock is attractive at current levels. Morgan Stanley reiterates Exxon as overweight Morgan Stanley said it likes the oil and gas giant's robust "competitive positioning."

☆ Microsoft poses 'biggest potential threat' to Apple's App Store: Morgan Stanley
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts at Morgan Stanley said Tuesday that a Microsoft app store on the iPhone would represent "the biggest potential threat" to Apple 's App Store. "We estimate the impact of a potential Microsoft App Store on the iPhone would be limited to <3% of App Store revenue and <0.5% of EPS, but it still represents the biggest potential threat to the App Store today," they wrote in a Tuesday note. Regulators in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe have raised concerns about what the acquisition of Activision Blizzard could mean for competition. Morgan Stanley analysts also found that fewer than 30% of Apple users would be willing to buy apps outside of the company's App Store. Even so, they said Microsoft's app store could prove to be a true competitor with time.

☆ 4 elite stocks to play defense in this tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As investors search for calm amid the volatile market, four names stand out as ways to play defense. The companies have low debt, with debt as a percentage of equity under 150%, along with a three-year beta under 1 — meaning they're less volatile than the broader market. It also has a dividend yield of 1.1% and its earnings per share growth for 2023 is expected to be 1%. Its three-year beta is 0.8 and it has a projected earnings per share growth of 8% for 2023. Lastly, Linde has debt as a percentage of equity of nearly 47% and a three-year beta of 1.

☆ How to invest in the ChatGPT-driven AI boom: Credit Suisse shares 6 stocks they're labeling as "top picks" as their exposure to AI development opens them up to new revenue streams
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Badri's price 12-month price target for shares of Microsoft is $285. The analysts said that growing AI use cases will help Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and their high performance computing business, which has already doubled since 2016. Credit Suisse's 12-month price target for the stock is $330, which is upside of 16%. Chou has a price target of NT$1,100 for the stock, meaning 13.5% upside. Both Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Baidu are traded on US exchanges, while Accton and Wiwynn are traded in Taiwan.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Snowflake, Salesforce, Nio, Nvidia & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JPMorgan downgrades Nio to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees too many challenges after the Nio's earnings report on Wednesday. JPMorgan downgrades Dollar Tree to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees too many macro headwinds for the discount retailer. Morgan Stanley upgrades Pinduoduo to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the ag-tech company is a "long-term growth story." Morgan Stanley reiterates Liberty Formula One as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's bullish on shares of the auto racing company. Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said competitors can't keep up after Tesla's investor day on Wednesday.

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Carvana, Nvidia, Netflix, Zoom, Meta & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bank of America downgrades Constellation Energy to neutral from buy Bank of America downgraded the energy company mainly on valuation. " Raymond James reiterates Carvana as market perform Raymond James said it's cautious heading into Carvana earnings later this week. Bank of America reiterates Meta as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on the company's recently announced Meta Verified subscription service. " Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America said it's standing by its buy rating despite the ChatGPT thread to Alphabet. Barclays reiterates Zoom as equal weight Barclays said expectations are low heading into Zoom earnings later this month.

☆ Microsoft will need 'a crowbar to pry away' Google's advertising dominance, even with its A.I. investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But analysts aren't convinced that significant market share gains will come anytime soon. At the same time, he suspects the announcement will further push Google to roll out more of its own AI search engine features. To be sure, even though Microsoft accounts for just a fraction of the search advertising market, analysts see signs that the company is making significant progress. According to Piper Sandler's Brent Bracelin, Microsoft AI should reach $40 billion in revenue in half the time it took the company's cloud segment to reach that milestone. He also estimates that Microsoft could expand its market share within the digital ad market by as much as 7% sometime in 2026.

☆ Alphabet shares fall 7% following Google's A.I. event
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

During the event Wednesday, which was livestreamed from Paris, Google executives discussed some of Bard's capabilities. Shares of Alphabet slid during the event, suggesting that investors were hoping for more in light of growing competition from Microsoft. Google's event took place just one day after Microsoft hosted its own AI event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft's event centered around new AI-powered updates to the company's Bing search engine and Edge browser. Though Microsoft's latest AI investments increase the pressure on Google search, some analysts say it will take time for Microsoft to see any significant gains.

☆ Latest Microsoft results show the tech giant is still a buy despite near-term pressures, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft may be facing some near-term pressures, but most analysts think the stock remains a buy at current levels. Radke has a buy rating on the stock, and raised his target price slightly to $282 from $280. His $300 price target represents more than 23% upside from Tuesday's closing price for the stock. Davidson's Gil Luria was especially bullish on Microsoft, saying that the tech giant "deserves a premium valuation relative to the market and its Pac4 comparables." He lowered his price target to $265 from $267.

☆ Guggenheim downgrades Microsoft, says vulnerabilities may be exacerbated during an economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Now is the time to sell shares of tech giant Microsoft , according to analysts at Guggenheim. The firm on Tuesday downgraded the shares to sell from neutral and introduced a $212 price target, implying a more than 11% downside for Microsoft. Microsoft may disappoint on upcoming earnings numbers in the second quarter of 2023 and in their full-year guidance as well. "While most investors see MSFT as a large stable business that can weather any storm, it does have vulnerabilities, some of which could be exacerbated by this macro slowdown," analyst John DiFucci wrote. The biggest headwind the firm sees is MPC business, where consensus numbers are expecting slight growth after several quarters of declines.

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