Microsoft gains stock confidence; iOS bridge to Windows pushing through

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has continually been gaining stocks confidence in the past periods with Morgan Stanley boosting its rating. Microsoft went from "equal-weight" to "overweight" while the price target increased from US$57 (AU$82.04) to US$66 (AU$95).

According to The Street, while Microsoft has been seeing its earnings per share (EPS) growth as static for the past years, analysts believe that the company's trend line will eventually inflect updates. Furthermore, according to expectations, Microsoft should continue to generate total return in mid-teens.

Microsoft has been seeing a wave of changes following the leadership of Chief Executive Office Satya Nadella. Many analysts previously predicted the company to have a positive year thanks to the company's new focus. According to the Street's additional analysis, Microsoft's stock has not only risen for the past year, it has also increased at such a rate or pace faster compared to S&P 500. This clearly reflects earnings growth along with positive factors previously cited. But as with any other stock, Microsoft is not immune to the sudden changes or falls in the market. Nonetheless, analysts still see a good upside potential even with the rate of its increase in the past year.

On the other side, Microsoft continues to explore new ways to encourage users and revenue streams. According to ZDNET, the company is preparing an analyser that can assist iOS developers in determining compatibility of their apps in relation to Windows iOS bridge toolkit.

"We want to make it as easy as possible to get started with Windows Bridge for iOS. In the coming weeks, we'll be launching a web tool that will automatically analyse your app for compatibility with the bridge and give you results right in your browser," said Microsoft in its page.

"You'll be able to see exactly how much work you'll have to do to bring your app to Windows, along with suggestions, tips and workarounds for any libraries you're using that the bridge doesn't support yet."