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How to buy Microsoft (MSFT) shares in Australia

Learn how to easily invest in Microsoft shares.

Recent developments

November 21: Microsoft's shares soared to a new record, closing at $377.44 on November 21, 2023, after a more than 2% increase. This surge follows the company's strategic moves in AI, including a deeper partnership with OpenAI.
November 21: Microsoft, a key investor in OpenAI, on November 20, hired the ousted CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman to work on AI initiatives.
November 21: OpenAI, a leading AI research firm in partnership with Microsoft, witnessed a dramatic leadership change with the abrupt firing of CEO Sam Altman on November 17.

Microsoft is a Washington-based multinational technology company producing computer software, consumer electronics, PCs and other related services. Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen as Traf-O-Data in 1975, Microsoft is best known for its Windows operating software as well as numerous other corporate acquisitions, including LinkedIn and Skype. As of 2021, Microsoft is the world's third-largest listed company after Apple Inc and Saudi Aramco.

How to buy shares in Microsoft

  1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company listed in the US from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. Look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
  2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, which will typically include your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
  3. Search for Microsoft. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: MSFT. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment that matches your financial goals.
  4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Microsoft reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying using consistent intervals and amounts.
  5. Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of US$378.85, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Microsoft, depending on your broker.
  6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Microsoft. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights.

Microsoft stock price (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Use our graph to track the performance of MSFT stocks over time.

Have Microsoft's shares ever split?

Microsoft's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 18 February 2003. So if you had owned 1 share the day before the split, the next day you would own 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Microsoft shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Microsoft shares which in turn could have impacted Microsoft's share price.

Microsoft shares at a glance

Information last updated 2023-11-30.
OpenUS$378.49
HighUS$380.09
LowUS$375.47
CloseUS$378.73
Previous closeUS$378.85
Change US$-0.12
Change % -0.0317%
Volume 28,748,689
Information last updated 2023-11-26.
52-week rangeUS$217.4221 - US$380.64
50-day moving average US$339.4014
200-day moving average US$316.0237
Target priceUS$368.3
PE ratio 36.6437
Dividend yield US$2.79 (0.79%)
Earnings per share (TTM) US$10.3

Microsoft share growth calculator

US$

Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.

Microsoft price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the last close of $378.73

1 week (2023-11-24) 0.34%
1 month (2023-10-30) 12.28%
3 months (2023-08-30) 15.19%
6 months (2023-05-30) 14.35%
1 year (2022-11-30) 48.44%
2 years (2021-11-30) 14.56%
3 years (2020-12-01) 75.17%
5 years (2018-11-30) 241.54%

Compare trading platforms to buy Microsoft shares

1 - 6 of 6
Name Product Standard brokerage for US shares Currency conversion fee Asset class
eToro
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IG Share Trading
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US$0
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$0 brokerage for US and global shares plus get an active trader discount of $5 commission on Australian shares.
Enjoy some of the lowest brokerage fees on the market when trading Australian and international shares, plus get access to 24-hour customer support.
Moomoo Share Trading
US$0.99
55 pips or 0.0055 AUD/USD
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CMC Invest
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Trade up to 35,000 products, including shares, crypto, ETFs and managed funds, with access to 15 major global and Australian stock exchanges. Plus, buy Aussie shares for $0 brokerage up to $1,000. (Limited to one buy order per stock per trading day).
Webull
US$0.25
0.50% (50 pips)
ASX shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Trade ASX and US stocks and US options, plus gain access to inbuilt news platforms and educational resources. You can also start trading for less with fractional shares.
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US$2
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Get one brokerage-free trade per month for the first 12 months for US or ASX markets. T&Cs apply.
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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy Microsoft stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Is Microsoft under- or over-valued?

Valuing Microsoft stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Microsoft's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Microsoft's P/E ratio

Microsoft's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 37x. In other words, Microsoft shares trade at around 37x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

Microsoft's PEG ratio

Microsoft's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 2.2748. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Microsoft's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

Microsoft's EBITDA

Microsoft's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$108.5 billion (£85.9 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Microsoft's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Microsoft share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Microsoft's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$217.4221 up to US$380.64. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

MSFT.US volatility(beta: 0.89)Avg. volatility(beta: 1.00)LowHigh

Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while Microsoft's is 0.885. This would suggest that Microsoft's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

Microsoft financials

Revenue TTM US$218.3 billion
Operating margin TTM 47.59%
Gross profit TTM US$135.6 billion
Return on assets TTM 14.57%
Return on equity TTM 39.11%
Profit margin 35.31%
Book value 29.702
Market capitalisation US$2.8 trillion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Microsoft share dividends

27%

Dividend payout ratio: 26.7% of net profits

Recently Microsoft has paid out, on average, around 26.7% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.79% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Microsoft shareholders could enjoy a 0.79% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Microsoft's case, that would currently equate to about $2.79 per share.

While Microsoft's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Microsoft may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.

Microsoft's most recent dividend payout was on 14 December 2023. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 15 November 2023 (the "ex-dividend date").

Microsoft's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Microsoft.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

Microsoft's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 18.94

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Microsoft's overall score of 18.94 (as at 01/01/2019) is excellent – landing it in it in the 11st percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Microsoft is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

Microsoft's environmental score

Environmental score: 2.97/100

Microsoft's environmental score of 2.97 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Microsoft's social score

Social score: 11.87/100

Microsoft's social score of 11.87 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Microsoft's governance score

Governance score: 6.59/100

Microsoft's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Microsoft is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Microsoft's controversy score

Controversy score: 3/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Microsoft scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Microsoft hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

Microsoft Corporation was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score 18.94
Total ESG percentile 11.18
Environmental score 2.97
Environmental score percentile 6
Social score 11.87
Social score percentile 6
Governance score 6.59
Governance score percentile 6
Level of controversy 3

Microsoft overview

Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services. This segment also provides LinkedIn; and dynamics business solutions, including Dynamics 365, a set of intelligent, cloud-based applications across ERP, CRM, power apps, and power automate; and on-premises ERP and CRM applications. The Intelligent Cloud segment provides server products and cloud services, such as azure and other cloud services; SQL and windows server, visual studio, system center, and related client access licenses, as well as nuance and GitHub; and enterprise services including enterprise support services, industry solutions, and nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment offers Windows, including windows OEM licensing and other non-volume licensing of the Windows operating system; Windows commercial comprising volume licensing of the Windows operating system, windows cloud services, and other Windows commercial offerings; patent licensing; and windows Internet of Things; and devices, such as surface, HoloLens, and PC accessories. Additionally, this segment provides gaming, which includes Xbox hardware and content, and first- and third-party content; Xbox game pass and other subscriptions, cloud gaming, advertising, third-party disc royalties, and other cloud services; and search and news advertising, which includes Bing, Microsoft News and Edge, and third-party affiliates. The company sells its products through OEMs, distributors, and resellers; and directly through digital marketplaces, online, and retail stores. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Past developments

October 25: Microsoft released its latest quarterly earnings report and beat analyst estimates for revenue and earnings per share (EPS). Revenue came in at $56.5 billion (compared to an expected $54.5 billion) and EPS reached $2.99 (compared to an expected $2.66).
05 January 2023: Microsoft's Bing search engine plans to integrate with OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot technology. The new feature is expected to launch by the end of March and is intended to give Microsoft a competitive edge over Google. Microsoft made a $1 billion (£830 million) investment in OpenAI in 2019 and have integrated OpenAI's tech ever since.
10 January 2023: Microsoft is in talks to invest $10 (£8.1 Billion), in ChatGPT owner - Semafor. The investment comes at the same time as Microsoft Bing starts to use OpenAI’s chatbot for its search engine. The move could see Bing rank higher than Google search in customer search usage.

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