Market Update (NASDAQ:MSFT): Inphi Continues Streak on Microsoft Deal; Defending CIEN, INFN

[at Barrons.com] – Shares of fiber-optic component vendor Inphi (IPHI) are surging today after notching gains yesterday on a win with Microsoft (MSFT) to supply the latter’s data center buildout. Inphi shares yesterday rose by 5%, and today they are up another $1.95, over 6%, at $32.56. Microsoft is quoted in Inphi’s press release about its “ColorZ” transceiver product. Read more on this. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) , with a current market cap of $427.22B, started trading this morning at $54.03. Looking at today’s market, MSFT one day range is $53.74 to $54.24 with a one year range of $39.72 to $56.85. MSFT shares are currently priced at 19.59x this year’s forecasted earnings, which makes them relatively inexpensive compared to the industry’s 20.60x earnings multiple. The company pays shareholders $1.44 per share in dividend income per year, for a current yield of 2.69%. Consensus earnings for the current quarter by the 29 sell-side analysts covering the stock is an estimate of $0.64 per share, which would be $0.03 better than the year-ago quarter and a $0.04 sequential decrease. In looking at the bigger picture, the full-year EPS estimate of $2.76 would be 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 $22.10 Billion. If realized, that would be a 1.70% increase over the year-ago quarter. More recently, Macquarie Initiated MSFT at Neutral (Mar 4, 2016). Previously, Morgan Stanley upgraded MSFT from Equal-Weight to Overweight. Given all the information above, we should disclose to readers that the average price target is $58.73, which is 8.70% above than it opened this morning. See more in (NASDAQ:MSFT) Similar Articles: Stock Update (NASDAQ:MSFT): Growing the cloud: How Microsoft, Inphi could help expand the entire industry Stock Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – MICROSOFT IS UP 10%: Here’s what a one-point move in MSFT does to the Dow Company Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Up on New Financial Reporting Structure