Market Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – What the region would lose if Microsoft eats Tableau’s lunch

[at American City Business Journals] – In the super-competitive market for data visualization software, Tableau Software (DATA) is facing stiff competition from Redmond giant Microsoft, as well as smaller, nimbler rivals, in a market battle that will determine the Seattle company’s future. The Puget Sound region has a lot riding on Tableau’s success. Tableau added 1,000 employees in 2015, bringing its headcount to roughly 3,000 by the end of last year. Read more on this. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) , valued at $437.78B, started the session at $55.12. A quick look at the market, the company’s stock traded between $54.89 and $55.44 and has traded between $39.72 and $56.85 over the past year. MSFT shares are currently priced at 19.87x this year’s forecasted earnings, which makes them relatively inexpensive compared to the industry’s 21.00x forward p/e ratio. The company pays shareholders $1.44 per share in dividend income per year, for a current yield of 2.65%. In a review of the consensus earnings estimate this quarter, 29 sell-side analysts are looking at $0.64 per share, which would be $0.03 better than the year-ago quarter and a $0.04 sequential decrease. What we find to be interesting is that the full-year EPS estimate of $2.75 is a $0.29 better when compared to the previous year’s annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is predicated on a consensus revenue forecast of $22.11 Billion. If reported, that would be a 1.75% 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 $58.80, which is 6.68% above than it opened this morning. See more in (NASDAQ:MSFT) Similar Articles: Market Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft’s Azure: The Engine in BMW’s Mobile App (MSFT, AMZN) Stock Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – MICROSOFT IS UP 10%: Here’s what a one-point move in MSFT does to the Dow Market Update: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) – At Microsoft, the Clouds Are Lifting