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How to buy Microsoft stock (MSFT)

Buy Microsoft stock in 5 easy steps, view past price performance and learn what’s ahead for the company.

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a technology company based in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft develops and supports software-infrastructure solutions, cloud services, personal computers, video game consoles and web browsers. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft is best know for its Xbox video game console, the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity applications and its Edge web browser. Microsoft is listed on the NASDAQ.

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How to buy Microsoft stock

  1. Choose a stock trading platform. Use our comparison table
  2. Open an account. Provide your personal information and sign up.
  3. Fund your account. Deposit funds into your account by linking your banking information or transfer funds from another trading account.
  4. Search for the stock name – MSFT. Search for the stock by name or ticker symbol.
  5. Buy the stock. Place your order. It's that simple.

Latest updates for Microsoft

November 14, 2024: The Federal Trade Commission is preparing to launch an investigation into anti-competitive practices at Microsoft’s cloud computing business, as the US regulator continues to pursue Big Tech in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency, according to Finance Times.

October 31, 2024: Microsoft beat expectations with revenue reaching $65.59 billion and earnings per share (EPS) coming in at $3.30, but the reaction has been slightly negative as guidance for revenue growth was lower than expected.

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Microsoft stock price (NASDAQ: MSFT)

Use our graph to track the performance of MSFT stocks over time.

Microsoft shares at a glance

Information last updated 2024-11-20.
Open$0.00
High$0.00
Low$0.00
Close$0.00
Previous close$0.00
Change $0.00
Change % N/A%
Volume 0
Information last updated 2024-11-14.
52-week range$360.93 - $467.51
50-day moving average $422.08
200-day moving average $421.63
Wall St. target price$504.77
PE ratio 35.0772
Dividend yield $3.08 (0.78%)
Earnings per share (TTM) $12.17

Is it a good time to buy Microsoft stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

This chart is not advice or a guarantee of success. Rather, it gauges the real-time recommendations of three popular technical indicators: moving averages, oscillators and pivots. Finder is not responsible for how your stock performs.

Microsoft price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of $417.79 from 2024-11-18

1 week (2024-11-13) -1.74%
1 month (2024-10-21) -0.24%
3 months (2024-08-20) -1.65%
6 months (2024-05-20) -1.78%
1 year (2023-11-20) 10.69%
2 years (2022-11-18) 75.69%
3 years (2021-11-19) 24.67%
5 years (2019-11-20) 191.35%

Is Microsoft stock undervalued or overvalued?

Valuing Microsoft stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Microsoft's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Microsoft's P/E ratio

Microsoft's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 35x. In other words, Microsoft shares trade at around 35x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

Microsoft's PEG ratio

Microsoft's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.248. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Microsoft's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

Microsoft's EBITDA

Microsoft's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is $136.6 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a Microsoft's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Microsoft financials

Revenue TTM $254.2 billion
Operating margin TTM 46.58%
Gross profit TTM $165.4 billion
Return on assets TTM 14.59%
Return on equity TTM 35.6%
Profit margin 35.61%
Book value $38.69
Market Capitalization $3.2 trillion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Microsoft's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Microsoft.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

Microsoft's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 18.94

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Microsoft's overall score of 18.94 (as at 12/31/2018) is excellent – landing it in it in the 11st percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Microsoft is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

Microsoft's environmental score

Environmental score: 2.97/100

Microsoft's environmental score of 2.97 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Microsoft's social score

Social score: 11.87/100

Microsoft's social score of 11.87 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Microsoft's governance score

Governance score: 6.59/100

Microsoft's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Microsoft's controversy score

Controversy score: 3/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Microsoft scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Microsoft hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

Microsoft Corporation was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score 18.94
Total ESG percentile 11.18
Environmental score 2.97
Environmental score percentile 6
Social score 11.87
Social score percentile 6
Governance score 6.59
Governance score percentile 6
Level of controversy 3

Microsoft share dividends

25%

Dividend payout ratio: 25.41% of net profits

Recently Microsoft has paid out, on average, around 0% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Microsoft shareholders could enjoy a 0% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Microsoft's case, that would currently equate to about $3.08 per share.

While Microsoft's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Microsoft may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.

Microsoft's most recent dividend payout was on 11 December 2024. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 20 November 2024 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have Microsoft's shares ever split?

Microsoft's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 17 February 2003 . So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Microsoft shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Microsoft shares which in turn could have impacted Microsoft's share price.

Microsoft share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Microsoft's shares have ranged in value from as little as $360.9274 up to $467.5074. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

MSFT.US volatility(beta: 0.9)Avg. volatility(beta: 1.00)LowHigh

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while Microsoft's is 0.904. This would suggest that Microsoft's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

Microsoft overview

Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services. This segment also provides LinkedIn; and dynamics business solutions, including Dynamics 365, a set of intelligent, cloud-based applications across ERP, CRM, power apps, and power automate; and on-premises ERP and CRM applications. The Intelligent Cloud segment offers server products and cloud services, such as azure and other cloud services; SQL and windows server, visual studio, system center, and related client access licenses, as well as nuance and GitHub; and enterprise services including enterprise support services, industry solutions, and nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment offers Windows, including windows OEM licensing and other non-volume licensing of the Windows operating system; Windows commercial comprising volume licensing of the Windows operating system, windows cloud services, and other Windows commercial offerings; patent licensing; and windows Internet of Things; and devices, such as surface, HoloLens, and PC accessories. Additionally, this segment provides gaming, which includes Xbox hardware and content, and first- and third-party content; Xbox game pass and other subscriptions, cloud gaming, advertising, third-party disc royalties, and other cloud services; and search and news advertising, which includes Bing, Microsoft News and Edge, and third-party affiliates. The company sells its products through OEMs, distributors, and resellers; and directly through digital marketplaces, online, and retail stores.

Frequently asked questions

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What percentage of Microsoft is owned by insiders or institutions?
Currently 0.056% of Microsoft shares are held by insiders and 73.767% by institutions.
How many people work for Microsoft?
Latest data suggests 228,000 work at Microsoft.
When does the fiscal year end for Microsoft?
Microsoft's fiscal year ends in June.
Where is Microsoft based?
Microsoft's address is: One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, United States, 98052-6399
What is Microsoft's ISIN number?
Microsoft's international securities identification number is: US5949181045
What is Microsoft's CUSIP number?
Microsoft's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 594918104
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Editor, Investments

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions. Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University. See full bio

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