Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) ratings have been raised by Guggenheim. Wall Street overwhelmingly recommends "buy".

On the eve of the quarterly financial report release, Guggenheim upgraded the stock rating of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) from "hold" to "buy", almost reaching a consensus on Wall Street's positive sentiment towards the tech giant. After this rating adjustment, nearly 99% of Wall Street analysts have given the stock a "buy" rating. Out of the 73 analysts covering the company, only Hedgeye Risk Management holds a "neutral" rating, with no institution recommending to sell. Guggenheim's rating adjustment highlights the market's optimistic expectations for Microsoft Corporation to seize the opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI). Analyst John DiFucci stated, "Investors currently find it difficult to differentiate between winners and losers in the AI field, but in our view, Microsoft Corporation, like other mega-cap tech companies, clearly belongs to the benefactors." In addition to AI boosting its Azure cloud computing business, "Microsoft Corporation, with its Office products, almost monopolizes the productivity suite market. Therefore, the company has been able to, and will continue to profit directly through AI services tied to this product suite (such as Copilot)." Fueled by this, Microsoft Corporation's stock price rose by 1.41% in pre-market trading. The stock has accumulated a 24% increase year-to-date, surpassing the Nasdaq 100 index's approximately 21% increase. Guggenheim has a target price of $586, which represents about a 12% upside from Microsoft Corporation's latest closing price. This rating adjustment comes at a time when Microsoft Corporation is set to release its first-quarter financial report on October 29th, with investors closely watching the growth trends of its AI-related business and future spending plans.