Earnings In FocusMicrosoft’s strength appears to reflect investor positioning ahead of its quarterly earnings report, due in two days, rather than a broader technology rally. The stock is also trading near key short-term technical levels, which can attract buyers during market pullbacks.Microsoft is scheduled to report quarterly results on July 29. Wall Street expects earnings of $4.23 per share, up from $3.65 a year ago. Revenue is projected to increase to $87.61 billion from $76.44 billion in the prior-year quarter.The stock trades at about 22.7 times earnings. Analysts maintain a Buy consensus with an average price forecast of $543.85. Recent analyst actions include:
Guggenheim maintained its Buy rating and raised its price forecast to $586 on July 27.
Bernstein maintained an Outperform rating with a $646 price forecast on July 22.
Oppenheimer maintained an Outperform rating with a $515 price forecast on July 22.
Microsoft Technical AnalysisMicrosoft is trading about 1% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) of $387.83. However, it remains below both its 50-day SMA of $398.91 and 100-day SMA of $398.83, suggesting the intermediate-term trend is still recovering.The longer-term picture remains more challenging. The stock is roughly 10% below its 200-day SMA of $435.46, which has limited the strength of previous rallies.The relative strength index (RSI) stands at 51.23, indicating neutral momentum. An RSI near 50 suggests buying and selling pressure remain balanced rather than stretched in either direction.The moving-average setup also remains bearish. The 20-day SMA sits below the 50-day SMA, while the death cross formed in January, when the 50-day SMA moved below the 200-day SMA, remains intact. Even so, holding above the 20-day average ahead of earnings could provide a near-term foundation for buyers.Key resistance is near $395.50, close to the 50-day moving average, where recent rallies have struggled. Initial support sits near $373.50, above the 52-week low of $349.20, where buyers previously returned.Benzinga Edge RankingsMicrosoft scores well on quality but continues to lag on momentum, according to Benzinga Edge.
