Nasdaq MSFT MicroSoft

Navigating the stock market has been tricky in 2022, with rising interest rates and declines in consumer spending bringing down the shares of numerous companies. The tech industry has been hit especially hard as some of the world's most valuable companies have experienced steep d

The only thing better than a steadily growing dividend is one that's available at a discount. Income investors have many choices in this vein right now, thanks to the market's 2022 swoon.

The year is drawing to a close, and it's been a rough one for many investors. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite are all likely to end 2022 in the red.

It's been a difficult year for many investors as stock prices continue to slide. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad time to invest.Many stocks are priced at a steep discount right now, making it an affordable time to buy. If you load up on high-quality investments

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) posted its latest quarterly report on Nov. 30. For the third quarter of fiscal 2023, which ended on Oct. 31, the cloud-based software company's revenue rose 14% year over year (and grew 19% in constant currency terms) to $7.84 billion and surpassed analysts

Lovesac's (NASDAQ: LOVE) modular couch concept has been a big hit with consumers, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the stock's performance. Shares of Lovesac are down 60% year to date, and trade at a cheap valuation of less than 10 times this year's earnings estimates.

Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) posted its latest earnings report on Nov. 30. For the third quarter of fiscal 2023, which ended on Oct. 31, the cloud-based data warehousing company's revenue rose 67% year over year to $557 million and beat analysts' estimates by $18 million.On a GAAP (gen

In this podcast, Motley Fool senior analyst Jim Gillies discusses:

In this podcast, Motley Fool senior analyst Bill Mann discusses:

Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Goldman Sachs Group Inc (Symbol: GS), where a total volume of 26,240 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of appr

Workers who test games at Activision Blizzard Inc.'s unit Blizzard Albany have voted to form a union months after the games developer began negotiating with employees at its Wisconsin unit, the first in the company to unionize.

If you keep up with technological advances, you’ll know the internet of things (IoT) is making our devices and their data increasingly interconnected — and predictions suggest there will be 75 billion devices of this kind by 2025.

MongoDB MDB is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Dec 6.For third-quarter fiscal 2023, MongoDB expects revenues between $300 million and $303 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is currently pegged at $302.3 million, indicating growth of 33.

Just a year ago, multinational technology company Microsoft ( NASDAQ: MSFT ) touched its all-time high of $344. Wall Street is making the most of the stock that is now $100 cheaper than those highs. Last week, Microsoft jumped to the number one spot in the list of top 10 holdings among hedge funds, according to Goldman Sachs strategist Ben Snider. Given the attractive long-term, risk-reward potential, I believe the current price levels offer a great entry point for investors. In fact, most other hedge funds are following in the footsteps of Goldman. According to TipRanks' Hedge Fund Trading Activity tool, MSFT stock has a very positive signal from hedge fund managers, who added 33.7 million shares during the last quarter. Now, let’s take a deeper look at Microsoft to ascertain if the time is right to embrace the stock. Go Long on Microsoft’s Azure Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure is expected to gain from strength to strength. It is expected to be the main driver of revenues in the coming years. For Q3, the company reported impressive growth at Azure, with revenues jumping 35% to $20.33 billion. Microsoft is focused on building Azure as the world’s leading infrastructure cloud. It has already established more than 60 data center regions with an aim to offer super-fast access to cloud services. This is impressive and is also higher than its peer group. In addition, with Microsoft’s Azure Arc, Azure will be available anytime, anywhere across multi-cloud environments. Azure’s other extended offerings include Azure for Operators with 5G, Azure IoT, Azure Digital Twins, and Microsoft Mesh. Potential Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Most probably, Microsoft will be able to successfully complete the months-long, pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard ( NASDAQ: ATVI ). The deal continues to be under the radar of antitrust regulators. Although gaming is not the core business of Microsoft, it's keen on acquiring video games maker Activision Blizzard. This is because Microsoft's gaming business is slowly gaining traction and now accounts for more than 7% of total revenues. The addition of ATVI will significantly boost Microsoft’s foothold in the fast-growing video gaming industry. Further, the mega $69 billion deal is expected to magnificently bolster its reach and add a huge base of new customers to Microsoft. Likewise, the wider user base will add to long-term value creation for shareholders. On the downside, regulatory scrutiny has recently increased for Microsoft. Further, there is no certainty that the Activision Blizzard acquisition will come through as it still waits for approval in several countries. Robust Results Despite a Weak Macro Environment Despite a weaker macro picture and currency headwinds, MSFT reported upbeat results for Q1 of Fiscal Year 2023. EPS of 2.35 beat by $0.04 while revenues grew 16% on a constant currency basis. Driving the revenues was a 31% growth (constant currency) in Microsoft Cloud revenues, with Azure and other cloud services registering an impressive growth of 42% (constant currency). What’s more alluring are the margins. Microsoft Cloud's gross margin increased by 200 bps to 73% during the quarter. Importantly, the company reported robust booking levels and expects to post double-digit growth in revenues and operating income in Fiscal Year 2023. However, in lieu of the macro uncertainty, the company provided muted Q2 guidance and also lowered the revenue outlook for Fiscal Year 2023. Compelling Valuations Microsoft stock has  lost almost 30% of its market capitalization. In terms of valuation, MSFT has mostly traded at a premium to its peers, which is justified given its strong competitive positioning. Currently, it is trading at a P/E ratio of 27.5x compared to the peer group average of 19x. On the positive side, however, MSFT’s current valuation reflects a discount from its five-year average of 32. These are attractive discount levels and present a great buying opportunity given the strong growth potential for the company. Is Microsoft a Buy, Sell or Hold? The Wall Street community is clearly optimistic about the stock. Overall, Microsoft stock commands a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 26 Buys and three Holds. Microsoft’s average price target of $295.38 implies 17.22% upside potential from current levels. Closing Thoughts: Consider Buying Microsoft Stock The gloomy macroeconomic picture has pulled down MSFT stock along with the overall stock market. However, analysts remain confident in its upward trajectory based on sturdy demand and growth as well as long-term margin expansion potential. I believe the long-term growth thesis remains intact for Microsoft. Likewise, I will add a position to MSFT stock in order to take advantage of the stock market's weakness in the coming days. Read full  Disclosure

A decade ago, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) was reeling. After dominating the personal computer (PC) market with its ubiquitous Windows operating software, the tech giant was slow to react to the smartphone megatrend.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend ETF (DLN) was launched on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market.

The iShares Russell 1000 ETF (IWB) was launched on 05/15/2000, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Software stocks are on sale in 2022. Valuations slumped across the board following spiking stock prices in 2021. That previous rally was built on the assumption that demand for software services would continue soaring as it did in earlier phases of the pandemic.

The tech industry has been battered and bruised in 2022, with the Nasdaq-100 Technology Sector index plummeting 35% year to date and many companies suffering much steeper declines. The stock market sell-off has primarily stemmed from rises in inflation, leading to decreased consu

U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet on Thursday for celebrities, lawmakers, and titans of industry at the White House's first state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron.