Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$543.45 +2.30 (+0.43%)

Closing price 10/13/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$544.96 +1.51 (+0.28%)

As of 06:09 AM Eastern

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Microsoft - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Moderate Buy

Based on 48 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
4

Buy
42

Based on 48 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Microsoft in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 48 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, 4 have given a hold rating, and 42 have given a buy rating for MSFT.

Consensus Price Target

$581.80
7.06% Upside

According to the 48 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Microsoft, the average price target is $581.80. The highest price target for MSFT is $870.00, while the lowest price target for MSFT is $440.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 7.06% from the current price of $543.45.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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MSFT Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 10/14/25 to 10/14/26	1 Month Ago 9/14/25 to 9/14/26	3 Months Ago 7/16/25 to 7/16/26	1 Year Ago 10/14/24 to 10/14/25
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	42 Buy rating(s)	42 Buy rating(s)	41 Buy rating(s)	31 Buy rating(s)
Hold	4 Hold rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$581.80	$564.27	$557.96	$618.47
Forecasted Upside	7.06% Upside	11.65% Upside	39.11% Upside	20.42% Upside
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy

MSFT Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

MSFT Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Microsoft Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Microsoft	Technology Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.83	2.23	2.53
Consensus Rating	Moderate Buy	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	7.06% Upside	671.98% Upside	19.10% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent MSFT News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
10/13/2026	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Raimo Lenschow 3 of 5 stars	Boost Target	Overweight	$512.00 ➝ $600.00	+10.87%
10/12/2026	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft 3 of 5 stars	Brad Zelnick 2 of 5 stars	Reiterated Rating	Buy	$600.00	+11.24%
10/8/2026	Weiss Ratings 3 of 5 stars		Upgrade	Hold (C+) ➝ Buy (B-)
10/5/2026	Scotiabank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Patrick Colville Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Outperform	$510.00 ➝ $615.00	+16.81%
10/5/2026	BNP Paribas Exane Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Stefan Slowinski Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Downgrade	Strong-Buy ➝ Hold
10/5/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Kirk Materne Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Upgrade	Underperform ➝ Outperform
10/5/2026	William Blair Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Initiated Coverage	Outperform
10/5/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Initiated Coverage	Buy
10/5/2026	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Tyler Radke Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Upgrade	Market Outperform ➝ Buy
10/5/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Adam Wood Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Downgrade	Overweight ➝ Negative
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10/5/2026	BMO Capital Markets Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Keith Bachman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Initiated Coverage	Outperform
10/5/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Karl Kierstead Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Downgrade	Buy ➝ Market Perform
10/5/2026	Melius Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Ben Reitzes Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Set Target	Hold ➝ Buy	$665.00	+28.49%
10/1/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Michael Turrin Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Overweight	$700.00 ➝ $725.00	+41.35%
9/30/2026	Piper Sandler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Billy Fitzsimmons Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Overweight	$550.00 ➝ $610.00	+19.85%
9/28/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Buy
9/23/2026	Wolfe Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Alex Zukin Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Downgrade	Outperform ➝ Hold
9/23/2026	Needham & Company LLC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Initiated Coverage	Buy
9/23/2026	Raymond James Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Downgrade	Moderate Buy ➝ Strong Sell
9/22/2026	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Brad Reback Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Upgrade	Hold ➝ Buy	$530.00 ➝ $575.00	+15.46%
9/22/2026	Oppenheimer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Brian Schwartz Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Outperform	$515.00 ➝ $570.00	+13.63%
9/21/2026	Rothschild & Co Redburn Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Set Target		$440.00	-10.89%
9/21/2026	Cantor Fitzgerald Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Thomas Blakey Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Overweight	$522.00 ➝ $608.00	+23.13%
9/15/2026	Citizens Jmp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Patrick Walravens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Market Outperform	$550.00	+8.82%
9/10/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Rishi Jaluria Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Outperform
9/3/2026	KeyCorp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Overweight
9/1/2026	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Tal Liani Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Buy	$500.00 ➝ $600.00	+18.28%
8/10/2026	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Mark Moerdler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Set Target		$660.00	+29.22%
8/5/2026	Tigress Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Ivan Feinseth Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Buy	$680.00 ➝ $690.00	+41.02%
8/3/2026	Phillip Securities Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Downgrade	Strong-Buy ➝ Moderate Buy
7/30/2026	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Buy	$640.00	+63.88%
7/30/2026	CLSA Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Bhavtosh Vajpayee Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Outperform
7/30/2026	DA Davidson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Gil Luria Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy	$550.00	+23.69%
7/30/2026	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Derrick Wood Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy	$540.00	+21.44%
7/27/2026	Guggenheim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	John DiFucci Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy	$586.00	+53.52%
7/24/2026	Benchmark Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Yi Fu Lee Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy
7/22/2026	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Terry Tillman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Buy	$575.00	+47.84%
7/15/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Gregg Moskowitz Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Outperform	$515.00 ➝ $490.00	+27.30%
7/10/2026	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Joseph Bonner Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Buy	$620.00 ➝ $510.00	+32.23%
5/13/2026	Wedbush Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Daniel Ives Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Outperform	$575.00	+42.90%
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5/7/2026	Dbs Bank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Lower Target		$678.00 ➝ $573.00	+36.13%
5/5/2026	Arete Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Boost Target	Buy	$730.00 ➝ $870.00	+110.34%
5/4/2026	China Renaissance Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Lower Target	Buy	$630.00 ➝ $550.00	+32.72%
4/30/2026	DZ Bank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Reiterated Rating	Buy
4/30/2026	New Street Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Lower Target	Buy	$675.00 ➝ $600.00	+47.14%
4/30/2026	HSBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Lower Target		$593.00 ➝ $571.00	+40.03%
4/30/2026	President Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Boost Target	Buy	$500.00 ➝ $520.00	+22.51%
4/15/2026	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	William Power Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Lower Target	Outperform	$540.00 ➝ $500.00	+27.21%
2/4/2026	Daiwa Securities Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings		Lower Target	Buy	$630.00 ➝ $600.00	+45.91%
7/31/2025	Westpark Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Curtis Shauger Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Reiterated Rating	Hold
7/24/2025	Loop Capital Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Yun Kim Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Buy	$550.00 ➝ $600.00	+17.05%
5/1/2025	TD Securities Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock brokerage rankings	Derrick Wood Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access to unlock analyst rankings	Boost Target	Buy	$475.00 ➝ $490.00	+13.29%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Wednesday at 06:12 AM ET.

Should I Buy Microsoft Stock? MSFT Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, October 12, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Microsoft pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Microsoft
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Microsoft:

Microsoft unveiled its third-generation Maia 300 AI processor, which management claims can deliver approximately 40% more AI-generated tokens per megawatt than leading GPU-based systems, potentially improving Azure margins and reducing dependence on external chip suppliers like Nvidia.
The company recently reported strong financial results with revenue of $90.01 billion, beating analyst expectations, and earnings per share of $4.74, which exceeded the consensus estimate of $4.24, demonstrating robust operational performance and profitability with a net margin of 40.31%.
Microsoft has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.98 per share, representing a 0.7% yield and a positive change from the previous $0.91 payment, signaling continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining a low payout ratio of 21.83%.
Analysts maintain a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $579.84, which suggests potential upside from the current stock price of $541.15, supported by bullish commentary on Azure growth and rising Copilot usage.
The stock has demonstrated strong momentum, trading at $541.15 on October 12, 2026, which is a significant increase from its 52-week low of $349.20, reflecting investor confidence in the company's strategic pivot toward in-house silicon and AI infrastructure efficiency.

Microsoft
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Microsoft for these reasons:

Corporate insiders have been selling shares, with CEO Satya Nadella and EVP Amy Hood both executing sales in September 2026 under pre-arranged trading plans, resulting in a total of 143,009 shares sold by insiders in the last three months, which may signal reduced internal confidence or personal financial planning.
Microsoft faces regulatory and political headwinds, as the Trump administration suspended the company from the PERM green card program, with Vice President JD Vance accusing the firm of replacing laid-off Americans with foreign workers, creating potential operational and reputational risks.
The company's valuation is relatively high with a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, which may limit upside potential if growth in Azure or AI services slows, particularly as investors await the October 28 earnings report to confirm that Azure growth remains above 40%.
Microsoft is committing to significant capital expenditures for AI infrastructure, including multi-gigawatt deployments of the Maia platform, which could pressure free cash flow and require substantial ongoing investment to maintain competitive advantage in the AI race.
Short interest has increased in recent months, with shares shorted rising to 61,133,927 as of September 30, 2026, indicating that some market participants are betting against the stock's performance, potentially due to concerns over high valuation or execution risks in its AI strategy.

MSFT Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 48 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Microsoft is $581.80, with a high forecast of $870.00 and a low forecast of $440.00.

48 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Microsoft in the last twelve months. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 4 hold ratings and 42 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" MSFT shares.

According to analysts, Microsoft's stock has a predicted upside of 7.06% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Microsoft's stock had 7 upgrades and 6 downgrades by analysts.

Microsoft has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Barclays, Benchmark, BMO Capital Markets, BNP Paribas Exane, Cantor Fitzgerald, Citigroup, Citizens Jmp, CLSA, DA Davidson, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Evercore, Guggenheim, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., KeyCorp, Melius Research, Morgan Stanley, Needham & Company LLC, Oppenheimer, Phillip Securities, Piper Sandler, Raymond James Financial, Rothschild & Co Redburn, Royal Bank Of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, Scotiabank, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, The Goldman Sachs Group, Tigress Financial, Truist Financial, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, Wells Fargo & Company, William Blair, and Wolfe Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Microsoft more than other "technology" companies. The consensus rating for Microsoft is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "technology" companies is Hold. Learn more on how MSFT compares to other companies.

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MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Microsoft analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 10/13/2026.

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Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Microsoft - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

MSFT Analyst Ratings Over Time

MSFT Analyst Recommendations By Month

MSFT Price Targets by Month

Microsoft Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Microsoft Stock? MSFT Pros and Cons Explained

Microsoft
Bull Case

Microsoft
Bear Case

MSFT Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

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Brokerages With Microsoft Recommendations

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Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Microsoft - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Consensus Price Target

MSFT Analyst Ratings Over Time

MSFT Analyst Recommendations By Month

MSFT Price Targets by Month

Microsoft Stock vs. The Competition

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Should I Buy Microsoft Stock? MSFT Pros and Cons Explained

Microsoft Bull Case

Microsoft Bear Case

MSFT Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Microsoft's forecast for 2026?

Should I buy or sell Microsoft stock right now?

Does Microsoft's stock price have much upside?

Has Microsoft been upgraded or downgraded by Wall Street analysts recently?

What analysts cover Microsoft?

Do Wall Street analysts like Microsoft more than its competitors?

Stock Forecasts and Research Tools

Today's Analyst Ratings

Top-Rated Stocks

More Ratings Tools

Brokerages With Microsoft Recommendations

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools

Microsoft
Bull Case

Microsoft
Bear Case