Market Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft Says It Backs Apple in Case Over Terrorist’s Phone

[at Bloomberg] – Microsoft Corp. backs Apple Inc. in its fight with the U.S. government over unlocking a terrorist’s iPhone, said President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. Read more on this. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) , currently valued at $406.78B, opened at $51.73. Looking at the stock , its one day range is $50.61 to $51.78 with its 52-week range being $39.72 to $56.85. Priced at 18.78x this year’s forecasted earnings, MSFT shares are relatively expensive compared to the industry ’s 8.39x forward p/e ratio. The company pays shareholders $1.44 per share in dividend income per year, for a current yield of 2.78%. According to a consensus of 28 analysts, the earnings estimate of $0.64 per share would be $0.03 better than the year-ago quarter and a $0.05 sequential decrease. Investors should also note that the full-year EPS estimate of $2.76 is a $0.30 improvement when compared to the previous year’s annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is based on a consensus revenue forecast of the current quarter of $22.08 Billion. If realized, that would be a 1.61% increase over the year-ago quarter. More recently, Morgan Stanley upgraded MSFT from Equal-Weight to Overweight (Jan 13, 2016). Previously, BMO Capital Markets Initiated MSFT at to Outperform. Given all the information above, we should disclose to readers that the average price target is $58.56, which is 13.20% above than it opened this morning. See more in (NASDAQ:MSFT) Similar Articles: Stock Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft, Windows 10 And The Curious Case Of A Missing Surface Phone Market Update (NASDAQ:MSFT): A Microsoft Surface Phone Will Not Be Enough Company Update (NASDAQ:MSFT): Here’s how Microsoft can make the next Windows Phone a hit and put Apple on notice