Key Stats for Microsoft Stock
- Price change for Microsoft stock in last 6 months: 27%
- $MSFT Stock Price as of Oct. 16: $529
- 52-Week High: $554
- $MSFT Stock Price Target: $599
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What Happened?
Britain’s competition watchdog has proposed giving Microsoft (MSFT) “strategic market status” in business software, Reuters reports.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) made the proposal on Friday, which could pave the way for rules on how Microsoft bundles products like Excel, Teams and Copilot.
The CMA opened its investigation in May and looked at software used by around 20 million people a month in Britain.
The regulator found that Microsoft has a strong position in PC operating systems, productivity, security, server and database software. It said barriers make it hard for customers to switch.
Microsoft disagrees, and a spokesperson said all its products, including Copilot, “are open and interoperable.” The company says customers can use them alongside rival services.
The watchdog plans to check whether customers can freely pick AI tools. It will also ask if rivals can compete with Copilot and other topics include security bundling and how licensing affects cloud choices.
CMA chief Sarah Cardell said organizations should be able to switch providers and mix services from different suppliers.
The CMA will invite views and make a final decision by February.
Microsoft would be the third company under the UK’s new digital market powers, while Google and Apple were named earlier.
The CMA said Microsoft and Amazon Web Services still need to ease barriers to switching cloud providers.
It is keeping a formal cloud investigation under review, and Microsoft welcomed the watchdog’s view that its cloud position does not justify designation.
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What the Market Is Telling Us About Microsoft Stock
The proposal is not final, and no rules have been set even as the risk spans the areas Microsoft is pushing hardest.
On the Q4 call, the company said paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats passed 30 million. It is also selling bundles like E7, which combines Copilot, E5, Entra and Agent 365.
Bundling is exactly what the CMA plans to study.
Revenue grew 18% to $90 billion, and Azure grew 43%. Microsoft stock also has a $678 billion backlog behind it.
Investors will watch the February decision. For Microsoft stock, the key question is whether any rules limit how it sells Copilot.
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So what is Microsoft stock actually worth?
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Disclaimer:
Please note that the articles on TIKR are not intended to serve as investment or financial advice from TIKR or our content team, nor are they recommendations to buy or sell any stocks. We create our content based on TIKR Terminal’s investment data and analysts’ estimates. Our analysis might not include recent company news or important updates. TIKR has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading, and happy investing!
