Microsoft Was Just Named a $600 Stock with a 33% Upside

Original Article:

Source: Link

Microsoft Today MSFT Microsoft $452.16 +1.21 (+0.27%) 52-Week Range $309.45 ▼ $453.60 Dividend Yield 0.66% P/E Ratio 39.15 Price Target $467.12 Add to Watchlist With its stock closing at another record high last night, around $450, it’s safe to say that Microsoft Inc NASDAQ: MSFT is having a great year so far. The tech titan is up more than 20% in 2024, with many gains coming in the past two months alone. For context, the benchmark S&P 500 index has only managed to tack on 16% over the same timeframe, while Apple Inc NASDAQ: AAPL has done even less. Indeed, when it comes to finding another $1 trillion-plus market cap tech company that’s outperformed Microsoft, you need to go to the likes of NVIDIA Corporation NASDAQ: NVDA, with its 140% gain this year, or Meta Inc NASDAQ: META with its 40% gain. Get Apple alerts: Sign Up Bullish Market: AI-Driven Gains and Hopes for Rate Cuts Broadly speaking, this year has seen a strong risk-on sentiment sweep across equities, with artificial intelligence (AI)- related stocks doing particularly well. In addition, inflation readings continue to trend down, and the market is licking its licks at the thought of an interest rate cut. That said, some valuation concerns are being raised about how lopsided this rally is, with NVIDIA and Meta alone accounting for much of the entire S&P 500’s gains. However, the good news for Microsoft investors is that the market expects the stock to continue rallying. Microsoft’s Market Position: Analysts Predict Strong Upside This was the sentiment of the team at Citi last week when they reiterated their Buy rating on the stock and upped their price target. Their bullish outlook is based on continuing positive news around the generative AI leader, OpenAI, in which Microsoft owns a significant stake. Recent reports have suggested that OpenAI’s revenue has more than doubled yearly to $3.4 billion. Citi analyst Tyler Tadke was also bullish on Microsoft’s internal revenue engine, with solid strength in its cloud computing platform, Azure, a key factor. Microsoft MarketRank™ Stock Analysis Overall MarketRank™ 4.66 out of 5 Analyst Rating Moderate Buy Upside/Downside 3.5% Upside Short Interest Healthy Dividend Strength Strong Sustainability -0.75 News Sentiment 0.55 Insider Trading Selling Shares Projected Earnings Growth 11.98% See Full Details Having previously had a price target of $495 on Microsoft shares, Tadke has upped this to $520. This points to an additional upside of around 15%, pushing the stock further into blue-sky territory. But that’s not even the most bullish price target that’s recently been printed. Take Tigress Financial, for example, who earlier this month put a price target of $550 on Microsoft shares, or New Street Research, which went straight to $570 when they initiated coverage with a Buy rating. For both of these teams and, indeed, almost all the analysts who’ve rated Microsoft bullishly this year, it’s all about AI. The company seems to have done a great job in positioning itself to capture large pieces of the market, and there’s every reason to think this leadership position will continue. High Expectations: Microsoft’s Stock Poised for Continued Gains This was also the sentiment from Truist Financial, which reiterated its Buy rating on the stock just last week. What was particularly noteworthy here, though, was the $600 price target they gave Microsoft, which immediately became the new street high. This points to a massive 33% upside from where the stock closed on Tuesday. For those of us on the sidelines who’ve missed out on the gains so far this year but who’ve been eager to get involved, this could be the buy signal we’ve been waiting for. It’s never easy buying into a stock that’s already at all-time highs, but with the sheer volume of analysts screaming for more gains, you can’t help but feel that Microsoft shares have a lot more in them. Look for the stock to continue rallying towards the $500 mark, with its next earnings report, due around the end of July, a key event on the calendar. Since this rally kicked off in early 2023, Microsoft has been doing everything right, and all the signs suggest this isn’t going to change anytime soon. Microsoft Co. (MSFT) Price Chart for Wednesday, June, 26, 2024 Before you consider Apple, you'll want to hear this. 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 Apple wasn't on the list. While Apple currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. View The Five Stocks Here