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3 weeks ago
Here's Why Microsoft Will Likely Announce a Stock Split
By: 24/7 Wall St. | April 1, 2024
Just about 30% of the S&P 500 total market capitalization is made up of “The Magnificent 7”: Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), META Platforms (NASDAQ: META), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has both historical and fundamental premises to justify a forward split announcement this year. Forward splits are 99% of the time a popular event in the eyes of both current and future shareholders. Mechanically, it is equivalent to exchanging, say, two $5.00 bills for a $10.00 bill. The value remains unchanged. However, when it comes to stocks, there are additional advantages, as we will see below:
Market Perceptions
For decades, Microsoft’s Windows OS has dominated the workplace computer market, and, to a lesser extent, the personal computer market. While Apple’s Mac owners are more loyal and won’t hesitate to tout the superiority of Apple products, the fact remains that the availability of Windows in a wide variety of different manufacturers’ hardware configurations makes it more ubiquitous, cost effective, and easier to customize.
As such, Microsoft has been able to continue capitalizing on this advantage, and managed to keep loyal shareholders with its consistency in earnings and with dividends, which were first announced back in 2003. Its recent stock price gains have outpaced rival Apple to the point where Microsoft’s $3 trillion+ market cap is now hundreds of billions over Apple’s $2.6 trillion.
New Revenue Streams and Breakthroughs
Microsoft launched its successful Azure cloud computing platform in 2010, which created a strong new recurring revenue stream for the company in data storage subscription fees.
However, Microsoft’s latest foray into Artificial Intelligence may prove to be its biggest advanced leap since introducing DOS for the personal computer. Microsoft has invested $13 billion into OpenAI and the engine for ChatGPT to easily operate on Azure. As a result, Azure AI is exploding, and new subscribers are fueling the exponential development of a host of new applications and software products, including AI boosts for Windows 365.
Lastly, Microsoft closed its acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard in Q4 2023. In addition to supplying popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft for the Microsoft Xbox gaming system, it now owns the intellectual property rights, which would ostensibly include added merchandising, game sequels, and film and television spin-offs.
History and Ticket Price of Admission
Although low priced stocks have been derisively dubbed “penny-stocks” by analysts and sophisticated investors, they remain popular with individual investors. The simple reason is that for some investors with limited capital to allocate for each stock position they elect to take, getting a meaningful number of shares that fits within budget is a crucial factor. This is especially true if they are trying to diversify and buy positions in several companies in different industrial sectors for risk mitigation purposes. Buying 100 shares of a $20 stock carries more upside justification potential than buying 10 shares of a $200 stock.
From its first forward stock split in 1987 to the early 2000s, Microsoft has had 9 stock splits, with the last one in 2008. Its present market price of over $400 is high, and the underlying fundamentals for its AI and other prospects are certainly rosy enough to garner hordes of new investors who would welcome adding Microsoft stock to their portfolios if it was under $100.
So, is a 10-for-1 forward stock split in the cards for Microsoft? While no announcements have been made as of yet, the market and business conditions certainly make a strong case for it.
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DiscoverGold
1 month ago
Microsoft Insider Trading Alert: Microsoft's Chief People Officer, Kathleen Hogan, sold 22,000 $MSFT shares for a total value of $8.8 million while the company's Chief Communication Officer sold $4 million worth.
By: Barchart | March 15, 2024
• Microsoft Insider Trading Alert
Microsoft's Chief People Officer, Kathleen Hogan, sold 22,000 $MSFT shares for a total value of $8.8 million while the company's Chief Communication Officer sold $4 million worth.
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DiscoverGold
2 months ago
Microsoft (MSFT):
By: Carl Swenlin | March 1, 2024
Microsoft (MSFT): MSFT tried to form a double top mid-2023, but it broke out and moved +22% above that resistance. It has formed a long-term bearish rising wedge, and there is a PMO negative divergence, but price movement is strongly bullish.
Prognosis: Magnificent, but with some bearish undertones.
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DiscoverGold
2 months ago
Options Traders Target Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Amid Record Highs
By: Schaeffer's Investment Research | February 12, 2024
• Options traders targeted MSFT over the past two weeks
• Microsoft's already impressive market cap has continued to rise
The shares of the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), hit an all-time high of $420.82 on Friday, after closing its fifth-straight week of gains. With help from the artificial intelligence (AI) demand, the Big Tech giant's market cap has hit record-breaking levels, currently valued at over $3.12 trillion. Today, the stock is dipping from its recent highs, down 1.1% at $416.13 at last check.
Unsurprisingly, options traders have continued to target MSFT. Per Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White's list of stocks that attracted the highest weekly options volume during the last 10 days, Microsoft stock has seen 3,216,566 calls and 1,686,164 puts exchanged. The most popular contract during this time period was the weekly 2/9 420-strike call.
This penchant for bullish bets is nothing new. According to data at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the security's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 2.03 stands higher than all other readings from the past year.
These options traders are in luck, as the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) reading of 18% sits in the 12th percentile of annual readings. This implies options traders are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations.
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Stock Guy777
3 months ago
Earnings: $2.93 per share, vs. $2.78 per share expected
Revenue: $62.02 billion, vs. $61.12 billion expected
Microsoft's revenue increased 17.6% year over year in the year, which ended on Dec. 31, according to a statement. Net income, at $21.87 billion, or $2.93 per share, increased from $16.43 billion, or $2.20 per share.
The company's Intelligent Cloud segment produced $25.88 billion in revenue, up 20% and above the $25.29 billion consensus among analysts surveyed by StreetAccount. The grouping contains Azure cloud infrastructure, SQL Server, Windows Server, Nuance, GitHub and enterprise services. Within that segment, revenue from Azure and other cloud services grew 30%. Analysts polled by CNBC had expected 27.7% growth, and the StreetAccount consensus was 27.5%. The metric for the previous quarter was 29%.
Revenue from the Productivity and Business Processes unit including Office productivity software, LinkedIn and Dynamics totaled $19.25 billion. That was up 13% and higher than the $18.99 billion StreetAccount consensus.
The More Personal Computing segment contributed $16.89 billion in revenue, up about 19% and slightly more than the StreetAccount consensus of $16.79 billion. The segment comprises Windows, Surface, Bing and Xbox.
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3 months ago
Microsoft (MSFT): Technical Analysis and Price Forecast
By: Bruce Powers | January 25, 2024
• Apple stock shows early signs of hitting resistance while Microsoft, a market leader, hits a $3 trillion market valuation, but a potential short-term pullback may happen soon.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
The stock of Microsoft was a market leader last year as well, and it remains so for the start of 2024. However, it may be ready for a pullback soon. On Wednesday, it reached a high of $405.63 and a new high market capitalization of $3 trillion dollars before pulling back. They are the second company to do so after Apple Corp. However, the high was almost an exact match with the completion of a 200% extension of the most recent retracement. In addition, several other Fibonacci targets levels are around that price increasing the chance to see signs of resistance as selling pressure builds. Wednesday closed weak with a possible bearish shooting candlestick pattern.
Microsoft is a Leader in the AI Revolution
Through its partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, Microsoft is at the forefront of the AI revolution. It has established itself as a leader in the sector with that partnership. Microsoft is scheduled to report earnings on January 30.
Retracement May Test 20-Day Moving Average Support
The most recent breakout level for Microsoft stock was $384.30. It corresponds to potential support around the 61.8% retracement of the most recent upswing at 381.86 and the 20-Day MA at $382.69. Microsoft stock broke out above the 20-Day line three weeks ago and it has not yet been tested as support. You can see how much of the month of December the 20-Day MA marked resistance. It would be healthy for the uptrend if the 20-Day line is tested as support. This does not mean it will be if a retracement kicks in, but it could.
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DiscoverGold
3 months ago
Nonstop Tech Call Buying on $QQQ, $MSFT, $NVDA Today
By: Cheddar Flow | January 24, 2024
• Incredible. "Unusual" is an understatement
Nonstop Tech Call Buying on $QQQ, $MSFT, $NVDA Today
These orders are all OTM, have a high premium, and are near expiration
This is super bullish
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