In a move that will likely give Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) a little help at Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) expense, Microsoft took to the witness stand in support of the government’s case against Google in an antitrust trial. And Microsoft made it clear: Google runs search right now. It was no doubt a humbling admission, but investors responded, giving Microsoft modest gains going into the final minutes of Monday’s trading session.
When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella admitted, during his time at the trial, that “…you get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, and you search on Google,” it had to be galling. But that led to Nadella’s next remarks handily, as he noted that, in Google’s hands, artificial intelligence would only augment Google’s already superior dominance in search. Meanwhile, Nadella also had to make the heartbreaking admission that, despite years of effort and over $100 billion in investment, Microsoft’s Bing is still “…a very, very low share player.”
That wasn’t all Nadella had to throw in, though; Google noted during the trial that it was “easy” to change default settings on computers and smartphones, which basically allows the end user to remove Google’s “dominance” at any time. Nadella declared that argument “bogus.” However, cross-examination noted that Bing had periodically won default search status on several platforms, yet it’s still a “very, very low share player,” as Nadella himself noted. That caught a judge’s attention, forcing contemplation of whether Google got ahead with anticompetitive play or with sheer quality.
What is the Future Price of MSFT Stock?
Despite this, Microsoft clearly has no lack of analyst share. With 30 Buy ratings and four Holds, Microsoft stock is considered a Strong Buy by analysts. Further, with an average price target of $397.19, Microsoft stock also offers investors 23.84% upside potential.