While Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has, without a doubt, taken a stock market beating in early 2026, Wall Street analysts remain exceedingly bullish about one of the world’s biggest technology blue-chips.
Case in point, there has not been a single ‘Hold’ or ‘Sell’ recommendation among the institutional expert updates between March 9 and press time on March 11, and, indeed, the entirety of the current month has, so far, been filled with ‘Buy’ recommendations.
Similarly, Microsoft found its shares among Dan Ives’ top March recommendations amidst the ongoing market turmoil.
Wall Street updates Microsoft stock price target
Looking at the most recent Wall Street analyst updates, Keith Weiss of Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and RBC Capital’s Rishi Jaluria proved the most bullish about MSFT stock.
In the March 9 update, Weiss forecasted that Microsoft shares can reach $650 – 60.20% above the press time price of $405.74 – within the next 12 months, while Jaluria estimated on March 11 that the technology equity is headed for $640.
Elsewhere, in their March 10 assessments, Barclays’ analyst Raimo Lenschow and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) expert Michael Turrin were also positive, both rating MSFT as ‘Buy’ and forecasting rallies to $600 and $615, respectively.
Lastly, while William Blair’s Jason Adler failed to set a Microsoft stock price target for the next 12 months, he nonetheless recommended buying the stock.
Zooming out, the latest set of Wall Street price target updates is consistent with the overarching institutional narrative within the most recent three months. Indeed, Microsoft stock is, overall, considered a ‘Strong Buy,’ and MSFT shares are, on average, expected to rally to $594.02.
Stark contrast between Microsoft stock investors and Wall Street analysts
Such optimism is contrasted by the stock market trading activity for Microsoft stock. For example, while it is true that recent weeks have seen several protracted rallies, the end result of the latest 30 days has been that MSFT shares are, effectively, flat.
Looking at the entire 2026 so far, on the other hand, showcases the diminishing degree of confidence that the vast artificial intelligence (AI) expenditure will bear fruit – or, at the very least, bear fruit before first triggering a recession – as the blue-chip company is down 14.20% year-to-date (YTD).
The anxiety regarding investment and reliance on AI became especially evident when the revelation of the extent of Microsoft’s exposure to OpenAI led to a one-session $360 billion market capitalization wipe.
Featured image via Shutterstock
