Microsoft (MSFT) – Research Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) in the last few weeks:

• 7/16/2026 – Microsoft was upgraded by Citigroup Inc. from “market outperform” to “overweight”.
• 7/15/2026 – Microsoft had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by Evercore Inc. They now have a $525.00 price target on the stock.
• 7/15/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Mizuho from $515.00 to $490.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 7/15/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Citigroup Inc. from $620.00 to $570.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/15/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $650.00 to $625.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 7/10/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Argus from $620.00 to $510.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/7/2026 – Microsoft had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $500.00 to $515.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 7/6/2026 – Microsoft had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by Weiss Ratings.
• 7/6/2026 – Microsoft was upgraded by Scotiabank from “outperform” to “outperform”.
• 7/6/2026 – Microsoft was downgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from “outperform” to “hold”.
• 7/6/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Wolfe Research from $570.00 to $525.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 7/6/2026 – Microsoft had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by DA Davidson. They now have a $550.00 price target on the stock.
• 6/25/2026 – Microsoft had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $415.00 to $400.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 6/4/2026 – Microsoft had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Cantor Fitzgerald. They now have a $502.00 price target on the stock.
• 6/4/2026 – Microsoft had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by TD Cowen. They now have a $540.00 price target on the stock.
• 6/3/2026 – Microsoft had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Barclays PLC.
• 6/1/2026 – Microsoft had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $625.00 to $650.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 6/1/2026 – Microsoft is now covered by Citigroup Inc.. They set a “market outperform” rating on the stock.
• 6/1/2026 – Microsoft is now covered by Citizens Jmp. They set an “outperform” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock.
• 5/26/2026 – Microsoft had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler.
• 5/22/2026 – Microsoft had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 21.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at $18,922,874.02. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total transaction of $1,812,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,122,009.12. The trade was a 8.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 23,762 shares of company stock worth $10,508,361 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).