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Microsoft (MSFT)

Is MSFT Stock A Buy, Sell, or Hold?MSFT is one of the few tech stocks which trades close to all-time highs, seemingly oblivious to the brutal valuation reset that swept through the sector In the most recent quarter, MSFT delivered strong results when factoring in the tough macro environment. MSFT grew revenues by 7% (10% constant currency) and earnings per share by 10% (14% constant currency) - two achievements not necessarily typically seen under difficult economic circumstances. MSFT generated $8.64 billion of that operating income from its productivity and business processes segment, which houses its Office 365 product suite among others. As to be expected, LinkedIn revenue growth came in light at just 8%, a reflection of lower hiring demand. MSFT generated another $9.4 billion in operating income from its intelligent cloud segment. Azure grew at a 27% clip, far surpassing the 16% growth seen at competitor Amazon Web Services Investors have been cautious on the ever-valuable cloud business ever since the cloud titans all revealed cloud optimization efforts undertaken by its customers. On the conference call, management implied that they may see easing headwinds as they pass the anniversary of those optimization efforts, stating that “at some point, workloads just can't be optimized much further.” It is possible that MSFT’s partnership with ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI has something to do with that, as management noted that while they do not consolidate any operating losses due to them holding a minority equity interest, they do indeed recognize revenues generated from OpenAI using their cloud services. The other cloud titans did not offer the same bullish commentary surrounding the end of cloud optimization. MSFT continued to see headwinds from its more personal computing segment, which saw revenues decline by 9% though still managed to generate $4.24 billion in operating income. At some point the comps should become easier here, but that may still be a couple of quarters away. MSFT ended the quarter with $104.5 billion in cash versus $48.2 billion in debt. I note that the company also has another $9.4 billion in equity investments (the announced $10 billion investment in OpenAI is set to take place in parts throughout the year). The company continues to pay a growing dividend and conducted $5.5 billion in share repurchases in the quarter. It is not too often that one can get long term innovation and have the majority of free cash flow returned to shareholders as well. Looking ahead, management has noted that overall growth may struggle due to the prior year’s quarter being a tough comp, with that being their “largest commercial bookings quarter ever with a material volume of large multiyear commitments.” Management did, however, guide for up to 27% in Azure growth, which seems to imply that the bottom for that segment may be very near if not already passed. Investors may be worried about how ongoing tech layoffs may impact Office 365 growth, but management appeared unfazed by this risk, citing that they continue to see strong demand for their product suites. MSFT continues to show why it is a favorite tech stock in growth allocations, as it has shown resilient growth in the face of tough macro. The strong fundamentals have helped the stock sustain a premium valuation multiple, as the stock recently traded hands at just under 35x earnings. Valuation remains the most obvious risk with that stock trading something between 50% and 100% higher than GOOGL depending on how many adjustments applied to the latter. With the stock trading so richly on present earnings, the stock could go nowhere for 7-10 years and still be trading at around 15x earnings at that time. Unless MSFT manages to sustain double-digit earnings longer than consensus, the stock will likely need to sustain a rich multiple in order to beat the market index. I note that this risk does not appear as large at the aforementioned mega-cap peers due to not just lower valuations but also due to MSFT appearing to already be operationally efficient with operating margins in excess of 40%. Another risk is that of potential disruption to its enterprise tech business. Wall Street appears to view the stock as being the strongest operator in any of its competing markets, but I do not share such views. In particular, I view competition from the likes of CrowdStrike (CRWD),and GOOGL’s productivity suite as being underestimated risks. It is possible that MSFT is about to face long- term disruption just as its growth story is decelerating - which would have a catastrophic impact on multiples. Due to the near term upside from OpenAI, MSFT hit ATH and now its in pullback mode, I took huge profit and waiting for more confirmation
NASDAQ:MSFT
by moonypto
2
ALERT! Healthcare Stocks? $UNH 70% decline! Sub $200 possible. I've been watching and keeping this quiet for a while now and I am now extremely confident of this trade. NYSE:UNH headed for the dumps as technicals show signs of a 70% decline ahead in the next year. This is a developing trade and I do not have any news to support this drop however, I am certain. The Weekly is currently in a bear flag the same exaact way. After a huge run, UNH looks to be running out of steam. The RSI matches around 70 on the 10D timeframe and the MACD is also coming from a negative area into bullish territory, yet the bearish divergence is clear imo. I will be glady entering long puts up here. I will continuously update this trade. See you Next year. Use this chart as a reference to current chart.
NYSE:UNHShort
by TazmanianTrader
$SPY $537 Fair Value Gap fill incoming imoFVG sits below at $541.61-$536.89 ..... Current 6 count could prove bearish into the 7th count on 10D chart. Very interesting chart showing what would essentially be a Bearish Harami off this Inside Doji. The 10D candle starts tomorrow 7/23 and ends 8/7 so basicaally accumlate as many puts as possible between then and now. If we move above the Open on the Doji at $554.54, then we can start talking about bullish behavoir. For now though, the gap above at $566.7 was rejected and I will be looking for a downside move from here to $540 as previously noted in a recent session. Chao.
AMEX:SPYShort
by TazmanianTrader
2
Microsoft Earnings Raise Fears Over AI Spending. Bubble Go Pop?Playing catch-up is big among the highflyers of technology as the Magnificent Seven club races to slurp up AI demand. But is AI spending going to lead to AI bonanza? It’s not that straightforward. Microsoft (ticker: MSFT ) reported its earnings update for the spring quarter Tuesday after the closing bell. But it failed to appease investors who seem to be waking up to a reality where the billions of dollars jammed into artificial intelligence might not that easily convert into coveted profits. The AI-optimistic large-cap behemoth has spent piles of cash on advancing its artificial-intelligence capabilities without much to show for it. Markets punished the stock in after-hours trading with shares diving as deep as 8% — a drop that later recovered but still lingered under the flatline. “Throw Some AI in There, They’ll Love It” You know how much CEOs love to throw AI in their earnings calls? Microsoft boss Satya Nadella praised the company’s AI efforts in the call with shareholders but even the overuse of AI couldn’t bring the feelgood factor. Microsoft’s AI-powered cloud business, Azure, grew 29% in the three months to June, falling short of expectations and undershooting the 31% growth in the previous quarter. The company rushed to patch it up and assuage spooked investors, saying the slowdown was due in part to demand for AI running ahead of capacity. Microsoft: Throws $55.7 billion in capital expenditures. AI: * giggles, burps * "Thanks for the cash." For the past three months — the company’s fiscal fourth quarter — Microsoft saw its capital expenditures balloon by almost 80% year-over-year to $19 billion. Moreover, for fiscal 2024, total capital expenditures, or how much the company spent on new stuff, hit $55.7 billion — a figure that is likely to get surpassed next year as Microsoft projects increased spending on AI. Microsoft’s quarterly results are the latest example, after Google’s (ticker: GOOGL ) flop of an earnings report and Tesla’s (ticker: TSLA ) profit-squeezing quarter , of Big Tech’s lofty aspirations when it comes to AI. And the pushback reaction from investors shows that expectations are so high, it’s near-impossible to beat them. Big Tech is racing to build out the infrastructure layer that will allow AI to scale so it can start churning out a profit. But the going has recently gotten tough. The Magnificent Seven club of tech mainstays washed out more than $1.5 trillion from its collective market value in the past three weeks. The question that lingers on investors’ minds right now is how long can markets stay patient before they see revenue growth from AI materialize? Let Us Know Your Thoughts! With all the hype around AI, do you see a bubble in the works? Or justified no-froth, no-nonsense valuations? Share your thoughts below!
NASDAQ:MSFT
by TradingView
23
MSFT Share Price Plummets After Earnings ReportMSFT Share Price Plummets After Earnings Report, But It’s Not All Bad Yesterday, after the main trading session on the Nasdaq, Microsoft released its second-quarter report: → Earnings per share: actual = $2.95, forecast = $2.93; → Gross revenue: actual = $64.72 billion, forecast = $64.38 billion. Despite key figures exceeding analyst expectations, MSFT's share price plummeted, falling below the psychological threshold of $400 in after-hours trading. Investor disappointment may have been caused by the slowdown in growth of its cloud business and significant financial investments in AI infrastructure—a long-term investment with delayed payback. Could the decline continue? Today in pre-market trading, MSFT's price recovered to $411, suggesting that the initial negative reaction to the report may have been overly pessimistic. Additionally, there might have been a cascade of stop-loss liquidations below $400 and the June low around $405, which seemed "secure" when the price was above $460. Technical analysis of MSFT’s chart shows that price action in 2024 formed an ascending blue channel. If the pre-market price doesn’t change significantly, today’s opening will be just below the channel’s lower boundary. If the RSI considered extended hours data, it might indicate exiting a deeply oversold zone (similar signals in 2024 had profit potential). If the sharp decline followed by a strong recovery signifies the liquidation of speculators (likely given the approximately 24% rise from the start of the year to mid-July), then MSFT's price could return to the blue channel and resume growth within it (channel boundaries might need adjustment). Wall Street analysts remain positive. According to TipRanks, the average MSFT forecast is $509.42 within 12 months (above the historical high). All 26 surveyed analysts recommend buying MSFT stock. This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
NASDAQ:MSFT
by FXOpen
1
$MSFT ending diagonal? Lower prices ahead?I was long calls of NASDAQ:MSFT into this morning and took profits in the first couple hours of trading. I initially thought we would see a move higher to the upper resistance at $455 or potentially as high as $465, but price couldn't break that $453 level. After relooking at the chart, it looks like we're forming an ending diagonal. If we break down from here, I could see a large corrective move back down to that $397 or $370 support level (or potentially to the lower support levels). The risk of downside was not worth the potential $2 gain from here. There's still a chance that we break higher and tag that upper resistance, but there are signs of weakness showing on the chart to me. We should see what direction we move by the end of the week. Decision time.
NASDAQ:MSFTShort
by benjihyam
MSFT still wave 4 we now seem to be in wave3 of C The chart posted is that of MSFT the BELL WEATHER has now drop in a clear wave 3 of C down into .50% from the peak to the oct low it is also a 15.9 % decline the same decline on a pct basis as we saw from july 2023 to the low of oct 2023 . the last support under all bullish wave count would be 371 this is .382 from peak 465 to 213 low oct . it is also wave a x 1.618 to = wave C at the same point . WAS that the super cycle peak at 465 ?? I have my doubts this is why I took june 2025 calls . I would look for selling at the 200 at 401 but once we close above 422 I would look for targets in the 545 area
NASDAQ:MSFT
by wavetimer
A Traders’ Weekly Playbook – A week that has it allIt’s a huge week ahead by way of event risk for traders to navigate positions over – traders, therefore, need to be aware of key timings and consider the possibility for volatility and if there is a skew in the directional risk when the market learns of the outcome. That is typically a function of reviewing expectations and the outcome relative to what is ‘priced in’, market positioning and liquidity. US earnings the marquee risk this week I would argue that for single stock and equity index traders US earnings will likely prove to be the most influential factor, with 40% of the S&P500 market cap due to report this week, with 4 of the 6 biggest market cap names in the NAS100 reporting. With some sizeable moves implied by the options market for the individual names on the day of reporting, movement at a stock level could resonate across other plays within their sector and potentially promote wide-index volatility. Nvidia and Apple aside, company earnings don’t come much bigger than Microsoft, where the options market implies a move (higher or lower) of 4.7% - the after-market session on Tuesday (when MSFT report) could get lively, so make sure you’ve got our US 24hr equity offering on your platform to assess (and even trade) the ensuing move. US nonfarm payrolls will offer meaningful insights for macro heads US nonfarm payrolls are the next most meaningful event risk for me. From a playbook/risk perspective, if the payrolls print comes out around 200k, with an unchanged unemployment rate then making a call on the USD, NAS100 and gold is a tough exercise as the macro argument doesn’t really evolve. It is easier clearly to consider the path of the USD if we see a payrolls print below 170k, concurrently with a higher unemployment (U/E) rate, and a further moderation in average earnings. In fact, if we see a U/E rate above 4.1% then one could argue the US swaps pricing may even price a small probability of a 50bp cut in the September FOMC meeting – a factor which should suggest buying USDs because there is little chance that will play out. A lower U/E rate, and above 200k payrolls would make the macro somewhat messy as it challenges the strong consensus position for a cut in September. The FOMC meeting to open the door to cuts The Fed meeting statement and Powell’s presser is really an exercise in assessing what’s priced into the US swaps/rates curve and whether the tone sufficiently meets these expectations for easing. The door needs to be opened for a cut or US 2yr Treasury yield will spike higher, and the USD will rally hard, taking US equity lower. The options market implies a -/+1% move in the S&P500 on FOMC day, which is above the typical -/+0.8% move we’ve seen in recent meetings - so the market is priced for increased movement, and that needs to be accounted for in our risk and position sizing. The BoJ meeting will get good airtime, and while the JPY has undergone a huge rally of late, let’s not forget that the BoJ also have a strong history of disappointing those calling for hawkish policy action. I am somewhat sceptical that BoJ action will have much of an effect on the JPY anyhow, as the move we’ve seen has been more about a position unwind, with JPY-funded carry positions unwound, with cross-asset volatility and expected Fed policy changes the greater driver. Still, it’s a risk that could promote vol and needs to be considered. Aus Q2 CPI to make or break an August RBA rate hike The Aus CPI print will be closely watched by AUD and ASX200 traders, as it could put the 6 August RBA meeting as a truly ‘live’ event, while a weaker-than-expected outcome could take any chance of a rate hike off the table – much to the relief of the local equity market. We also see increased two-way risks to the GBP with the BoE meeting a lineball call as to whether the BoE cut bank rate. While the EU and Swiss CPI reports could also move the dial on the EUR and CHF. Elsewhere, I will be watching crude oil and gold in the wake of rising geopolitical news flow between Israel and Hezbollah. While Trump’s weekend speech at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville has cemented Bitcoin (and the miners) as a key election trade. US Earnings this week – It’s a busy week on the US corporate reporting calendar. 40% of the S&P500 market cap report numbers, but the names that should get the greatest attention from clients include: AMD (the options market implies a -/+7.7% move on the day of reporting), Boeing (-/+4.2%), Microsoft (-/+4.7%), Meta (-/+8.7%), (QCOM -/+7.6%), Coinbase (-/+9.8%), Apple (-/+3.8%), Amazon (-/+7.2%) and Intel (-/+7.4%). The ASX200 full-year earnings season commences with Rio Tinto starting proceedings on Wednesday. Central bank meetings due this week: BoJ Meeting (Wednesday – no set time) – The majority of economists see the BoJ keeping rates unchanged at 0.1%, although the distribution of these estimates range includes a 10bp, 15bp and even 25bp hike. Japan Swaps market price a 10bp hike at a 50% probability. There will also be a focus on any changes to the monthly pace of BoJ bond buying, where the central view is we see the monthly pace taken from Y6t p/m to Y4.5t. With the trade-weighted JPY rallying 2.6% last week, a number of traders have covered JPY shorts into the meeting, and positioning is far less extreme. Fed Reserve meeting and Chair Powell Press conference (Thursday 04:00 AEST) – the Fed will leave rates on hold, but the tone of the FOMC statement should evolve to show the Fed has greater confidence in the inflation outlook and to lay the groundwork for a cut in the September FOMC meeting. With a 25bp cut in September now fully priced, and 67bp (or 2.7 25bp cuts) priced by December, the move in the USD, gold and US equity will come in the tone of the FOMC statement and chair Powell’s press conference relative to this pricing. Will the statement meet these expectations sufficiently? BoE Meeting (Thursday 21:00 AEST / 12:00 UK) – Eyeing UK swaps pricing, a 25bp cut is priced at a 50% probability, so market participants see a cut as finely balanced. Economists, however, see a greater probability of easing, with 24 of 32 polled by Bloomberg calling for a 25bp cut to pull bank rate to 5%. The split in the MPC votes for a hold/cut may also be closely followed. Marquee economic data & consensus expectations: US nonfarm payrolls (Friday 22:30 AEST) – the consensus is for payrolls to come in at 178k (economists’ estimates range from 225k to 70k), with the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.1%, and average hourly earnings at 3.7% (from 3.9%). There may be disruptions that impact the nonfarm payrolls print, notably from Hurricane Beryl, so forecasting the jobs report is typically a huge challenge. An unemployment print that ticks up to 4.2%, with an NFP print below 170k would be a surprise, but it could feasibly bring a 50bp cut onto the table in September, at least in swaps/rates pricing. Other notable US economic data points this week that could move markets include Consumer confidence (Wed) and ISM Manufacturing (Thursday). Australia Q2 CPI (Wed 11:30 AEST) – Headline CPI is expected at 1% Q/Q / 3.8% y/y, with trimmed-mean CPI at 1% q/q / 4% y/y (the economist estimates range from 4.1% to 3.8%). For a more detailed preview on Aus CPI, see my preview EU CPI (Wed 19:00 AEST) – Headline CPI is eyed at 2.5% y/y (unchanged), with core CPI at 2.8% y/y (from 2.9%). The market already sees a cut from the ECB in the September meeting, but China manufacturing & services PMIs (Wed 11:30 AEST) – Manufacturing PMI is expected to come in a little worse than the prior month at 49.4 (from 49.5), with services PMI expected at 50.2 (50.5). Switzerland CPI (Friday 16:30 AEST) – Headline CPI expected at 1.3% y/y (unchanged) with core CPI also unchanged at 1.1% y/y. Good luck to all.
PEPPERSTONE:NAS100
by Pepperstone
MSFT Microsoft Corporation Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven't entered MSFT when they bought a stake in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT: Now analyzing the options chain and the chart patterns of MSFT Microsoft Corporation prior to the earnings report this week, I would consider purchasing the 460usd strike price Calls with an expiration date of 2024-11-15, for a premium of approximately $13.05. If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
NASDAQ:MSFTLong
by TopgOptions
VIX 20 years Later !What will fuel this next Bull Market? #AI and exponential gains in productivity seem like a fair bet. The technology won't manifest properly in the next few years of course. But the speculation and new companies will. 20 years ago we saw the trendline of the #VIX break coming out of 9/11 and right around the time of the Iraq war Military spending, Lowering of rates, a Housing boom , and the rise of Google and culminating in the iphone. Seems eerily similar to the current #macro environment
TVC:VIXShort
by BallaJi
1
How Did MSFT Stock Price React To Global Outage?How Did MSFT Stock Price React To Global Outage? On 19th July, a global outage occurred. Numerous computers running Windows worldwide experienced "blue screens of death" (BSOD), affecting companies in different sectors, including airlines, hospitals, media, banks, and others. The outage was caused by a CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor update, a component of the Windows system that essentially works to protect computers from cyber threats. CrowdStrike quickly acknowledged the issue, stating that it was not a cyberattack but an update error, and suggested a solution. According to CNBC, the large-scale outage did not significantly impact the operation of most financial markets. Representatives of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq stated on Friday that they were operating despite the issues with the CrowdStrike update. The only noticeable unpleasant consequence for most was the inability to calculate the Russell stock indices, including the popular Russell 2000. However, the confusion was resolved later on Friday. At the same time, the large-scale outage affected stock prices, including Microsoft. In pre-market trading on Friday, MSFT's price dropped below $430, but during the main session, the price managed to rise above it. As technical analysis of the MSFT chart shows, the $430 level is important – as it acted as resistance in March-May 2024. Therefore, its role as support might be justified by analysts. Additionally, the MSFT share price is near the lower boundary of the upward channel (shown in blue), which may provide additional support. However, no one can guarantee that the mentioned support levels will lead to a subsequent bullish impulse. On 19th July, we wrote about bearish signs on META stock charts. These are bearish aggression signs, which are concerning: → the price's inability to reach the upper boundary of the blue channel in early July; → a wide bearish gap when breaking through the median on 17th July. Wall Street analysts remain positive for now. According to TipRanks, the average forecast for MSFT is $504.12 (+15.33% from the current price) over the next 12 months. Microsoft's Q2 earnings report, scheduled for release on 30 July, has the potential to significantly alter the balance of sentiments. This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.
NASDAQ:MSFT
by FXOpen
1
MSFT: A Potential Buy Amid Market Volatility.Given the current technical indicators and market conditions, here is a speculative trading strategy for MSFT: Long Position: Entry Point: Consider entering a long position if the price approaches the strong support level around $418.53. Price Target: Aim for the resistance level at $455.40 initially, with a potential to reach $492.85 in the medium term. Stop Loss: Place a stop loss at $410 to mitigate potential losses. Short Position: Entry Point: If the stock breaks below the $418.53 support level, consider a short position. Price Target: Target the next support level at $390.10. Stop Loss: Set a stop loss at $430 to limit potential losses. Examining the candlestick patterns, MSFT has displayed a series of red candles with significant upper wicks, suggesting persistent selling pressure. The price action reflects a bearish sentiment in the short term, but the long-term trend remains bullish, supported by the company’s robust fundamentals and continuous growth in its cloud computing division, Azure.
NASDAQ:MSFT
by AxiomEx
MSFT support 438.8 .382/50% =wave 4 5th ahead 473/488The chart posted is that of MSFT we have now dropped .066 % and this is equal to the last wave drop making waves 2 and 4 equal .And the drop is .50 % of the rally from 404.5 to the peak 469.25 and we are also at .382 of the rally from 388 low april , if we break here I would look for the decline to drop to 431.5/428.8 before we turnup and see the last up phase in the Bull market targets are from 473 to 488 I lead towards 481
NASDAQ:MSFT
by wavetimer