Microsoft Shares Decline Even with Xbox Cloud Gaming Growth
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Nov 21 2025
0mins
Source: TipRanks
Microsoft Xbox Cloud Gaming Update: Microsoft announced an update for its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, expanding to Brazil and Argentina, allowing more subscribers to stream games on various devices.
Strategic Shift: The company is pursuing an "Everything is an Xbox" strategy, releasing games on multiple platforms, including those of competitors like Sony and Nintendo, following disappointing sales of the Xbox Series X|S.
Stock Performance: Microsoft stock fell 1.3% on Friday but is up 12.86% year-to-date and has increased 14.73% over the past year, with 13 million shares traded compared to a three-month average of 22.52 million.
Analyst Ratings: Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of Strong Buy for Microsoft, with 33 Buy and two Hold ratings, and an average price target of $631.98, indicating a potential upside of 33.72%.
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Analyst Views on MSFT
Wall Street analysts forecast MSFT stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MSFT is 631.36 USD with a low forecast of 500.00 USD and a high forecast of 678.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
34 Analyst Rating
32 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 393.670
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 393.670
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company that develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. Its Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services, spanning a variety of devices and platforms. It comprises Microsoft 365 Commercial products and cloud services; Microsoft 365 Consumer products and cloud services; LinkedIn, and Dynamics products and cloud services. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of its public, private, and hybrid server products and cloud services. It comprises server products and cloud services, including Azure, and enterprise and partner services, including Enterprise Support Services. Its More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows and Devices, including Windows OEM licensing; Gaming, including Xbox hardware and Xbox content; Search and news advertising, comprising Bing and Copilot, Microsoft News, and Microsoft Edge.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Copilot License Sales Growth: As of Q2 2026, Microsoft 365's Copilot licenses reached 15 million, doubling year-over-year but representing only a 3.7% market penetration, indicating limited market uptake that could hinder future revenue growth.
- Azure Revenue Growth Slowdown: Azure's revenue grew 39% year-over-year in Q2, surpassing Wall Street's 37.1% forecast, yet slower than the previous quarter's 40%, suggesting a potential loss of momentum that may affect investor confidence.
- Data Center Capacity Shortage: Microsoft's order backlog surged 110% year-over-year to $625 billion, with 45% from OpenAI, which may limit Azure's expansion and increase investment risks due to reliance on external funding and revenue growth.
See More
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- Rating Downgrade: Melius Research downgraded Microsoft from buy to hold, with analyst Ben Reitzes lowering the price target to $430, suggesting a potential 7% upside; however, with a 2% decline over the past year and a 17% drop this year, the market outlook appears bleak.
- Cash Flow Concerns: Reitzes sees a likelihood that Microsoft's free cash flow will fall short of Wall Street estimates, particularly as its subscription business may also falter, making Microsoft less attractive compared to its competitors and impacting shareholder confidence.
- Slow Copilot Adoption: The analyst expressed disappointment over the slow growth of Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot, which has only 15 million paid users after three years, while competitors like Anthropic have developed superior alternatives quickly, posing challenges to Microsoft's 365 suite and profitability.
- Capital Expenditure Issues: Reitzes is perplexed by Microsoft's decision not to increase its capital expenditures for the year, which he believes will dampen growth prospects for its cloud platform Azure, further exacerbating market concerns about Microsoft's future performance.
See More
Big Tech Stocks Under Market Pressure
- Market Volatility Intensifies: Last week, Big Tech stocks saw over $1 trillion wiped from their market caps, creating a tense market atmosphere, with Oracle and Microsoft rising 1.6% and 0.8% respectively, while Meta and Amazon struggled, reflecting investor concerns over future expenditures.
- Surge in Capital Expenditures: Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta reported a combined capital expenditure of approximately $120 billion in Q4, with projections nearing $700 billion by 2026, surpassing the GDP of countries like the UAE, Singapore, and Israel, highlighting a strong investment demand for AI infrastructure.
- Cloud Growth Potential: Despite negative market reactions to Amazon and Alphabet's capex guidance exceeding expectations, analysts believe robust cloud growth will continue to drive stock prices, especially amid accelerating data center demand.
- Increased Management Confidence: In the face of macroeconomic pressures, Bank of America analysts noted that management teams are increasingly confident in their demand forecasts, anticipating full capacity utilization by 2026, indicating a positive outlook for the industry.
See More
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- Surge in Capital Expenditure: Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta reported a combined capital expenditure of approximately $120 billion in Q4, with projections soaring to $660 billion by 2026, surpassing the GDP of countries like the UAE, Singapore, and Israel, reflecting strong industry confidence in AI investments.
- Divergent Stock Performance: As of 6:12 a.m. ET, Oracle rose 1.5% and Microsoft edged up 0.8%, while Meta and Amazon fell 0.3% and 0.1% respectively, showcasing varied performances among stocks amidst overall market weakness, which could influence investor decisions.
- Cautious Future Outlook: Despite growing margins for cloud companies, analysts warn of potential stock volatility due to macroeconomic pressures; however, management's confidence in demand forecasting may lead to full capacity utilization by 2026, providing some reassurance to investors.
See More
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- Tesla Position Change: Peter Thiel reduced his Tesla holdings by 76% in Q3 2025, yet it remains the largest position in his portfolio, indicating ongoing confidence in the electric vehicle market despite skepticism towards Musk's humanoid robot strategy.
- Microsoft Investment Increase: Thiel purchased 49,000 shares of Microsoft in Q3, elevating it to the second-largest holding at 34% of his total portfolio, reflecting his optimism about Microsoft's cloud services and AI integration, even as the company faces growth slowdowns.
- New Investment in Apple: Thiel initiated a new position in Apple by acquiring over 79,000 shares in Q3, suggesting he sees potential in Apple's AI capabilities, particularly its vast iPhone sales network and upcoming AI-powered smart glasses.
- AI Stock Selection: Although Thiel's hedge fund holds only three AI stocks, his choices of Microsoft and Apple demonstrate a preference for technology builders, indicating a belief that these companies will play a more significant role in future technological revolutions.
See More
Amazon's Stock Decline Reflects Market Overreaction
- Earnings Performance: Amazon reported Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of $1.95, slightly below the $1.97 expected by analysts, while its revenue of $213.4 billion exceeded the $211.3 billion forecast, indicating strong revenue performance despite the earnings miss.
- Capital Expenditure Forecast: Amazon's projected capital expenditures for 2026 are set at $200 billion, a significant increase from $132 billion in 2025; although this raised market concerns, CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that most of the spending will address high demand for AWS services.
- AWS Growth Momentum: AWS experienced a 24% year-over-year revenue increase in Q4, reaching an annualized revenue run rate of $142 billion, with a backlog of $244 billion, reflecting robust growth in the cloud services market and a 40% increase in backlog year-over-year.
- Advertising Revenue Surge: Amazon's advertising revenue rose 22% year-over-year to $21.3 billion in Q4, with significant contributions from sponsored product ads and Prime Video ads, further solidifying its competitive edge in the e-commerce sector.
See More
