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Microsoft develops and licenses consumer and enterprise software. It is known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity suite. The company is organized into three equally sized broad segments: productivity and business processes (legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, Dynamics), intelligence cloud (infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings Azure, Windows Server OS, SQL Server), and more personal computing (Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktops).

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Satya Nadella y Elon Musk destacan el impacto transformador de la IA en 2024, con avances en educación, salud y más.

Elon Musk confirma el impacto revolucionario de la IA descrito por Satya Nadella

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Salesforce anuncia 2.000 contrataciones para ventas y marketing de IA, junto con mejoras en Agentforce, su tecnología de IA.

Salesforce (CRM) contratará 2.000 expertos en IA y lanza avances de Agentforce

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Conoce cómo las empresas de EE.UU. lideran el índice MSCI World con un 73,92% de peso y qué significa esto.

EE.UU. domina el índice MSCI World con las empresas más grandes del mercado bursátil global

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In a significant move to bolster the domestic semiconductor industry, the U.S. Commerce Department has approved a $406 million grant for Taiwan's&nbsp;GlobalWafers. This funding is aimed at enhancing silicon wafer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42525551/ahead-of-trumps-return-to-white-house-us-approves-406m-grant-for-taiwans-chipmaker-globalwafers" rel="noreferrer noopener">production within the United States</a>.
Senate minority leader&nbsp;Mitch McConnell&nbsp;(R-Ky.) submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, urging the rejection of&nbsp;TikTok's&nbsp;request to delay <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42568430/senate-minority-leader-mcconnell-urges-supreme-court-to-reject-tiktoks-delay-request-pushing-for-january-ban-amid-first-amendment-debate" rel="noreferrer noopener">a law that could ban the app in January</a>.
Smartphones
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>)&nbsp;is reportedly gearing up to launch a redesigned&nbsp;AirTag&nbsp;in 2025 with better <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/24/12/42501665/apples-2025-airtag-to-feature-iphone-15s-ultrawide-band-chip-for-smarter-longer-range-tracking-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">tracking capabilities and range</a>.
Apple is reportedly planning to launch foldable iPhones <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/24/12/42500942/apple-eyes-2026-to-launch-foldable-iphones-and-ultralight-devices-as-it-looks-to-revitalize-sales-momentum-report" rel="noreferrer noopener">and ultralight devices by 2026</a>.
Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/24/12/42513402/apples-2025-bull-case-can-it-deliver-without-riding-the-ai-wave" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple&#8217;s 2025 Bull Case: Can It Deliver Without Riding The AI Wave?</a>
New leaks have emerged, offering a glimpse into the design of the upcoming&nbsp;Samsung Electronics Co.&#8217;s<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42545936/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-and-s25-leaks-show-off-sleek-curved-design-and-slimmer-bezels-than-apples-iphone-16-pro-max" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;</a>(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSNLF#OTC">SSNLF</a>) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42545936/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-and-s25-leaks-show-off-sleek-curved-design-and-slimmer-bezels-than-apples-iphone-16-pro-max" rel="noreferrer noopener">Galaxy S25 Ultra</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42545936/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-and-s25-leaks-show-off-sleek-curved-design-and-slimmer-bezels-than-apples-iphone-16-pro-max" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;and&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42545936/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-and-s25-leaks-show-off-sleek-curved-design-and-slimmer-bezels-than-apples-iphone-16-pro-max" rel="noreferrer noopener">S25+</a>.
Apple and&nbsp;NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>)&nbsp;have announced a collaboration for the improvement in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42568204/nvidia-and-apple-team-up-to-supercharge-llms-with-redrafter-technique" rel="noreferrer noopener">performance of large language models</a>.
Apple has slammed&nbsp;Meta Platforms, Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) for its numerous requests to access iPhone-maker's software tools, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/media/24/12/42569325/apple-slams-metas-interoperability-demands-cites-privacy-risks-instagram-parent-fires-back-cupertinos-assertions-have-no-basis-in-reality" rel="noreferrer noopener">citing potential privacy and security risks</a>.
Apple is reportedly engaging in discussions with&nbsp;Tencent&nbsp;(OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TCEHY#OTC">TCEHY</a>) and TikTok's parent company,&nbsp;ByteDance, to integrate their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/12/42569744/apple-reportedly-in-talks-with-tencent-tiktok-parent-bytedance-to-roll-out-ai-features-in-china" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI&nbsp;models into iPhones sold in&nbsp;China</a>.
Technology &amp; Social Media
Microsoft Corp.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) has reportedly acquired nearly twice as many&nbsp;Nvidia AI chips as its closest competitors. This strategic investment is aimed at bolstering its AI capabilities,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42547442/microsof-scoops-up-485000-nvidia-ai-chips-twice-as-many-as-its-closest-rival-meta-report" rel="noreferrer noopener"> particularly for its Azure cloud services</a>.
Meta&nbsp;unveiled much-anticipated updates to its&nbsp;Ray-Ban&nbsp;smart glasses. It rolled out three new features for its Ray-Ban smart glasses:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42524192/metas-ray-ban-smart-glasses-can-now-be-your-chef-linguist-and-dj-whats-next-therapist" rel="noreferrer noopener"> live AI, live translations, and&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42524192/metas-ray-ban-smart-glasses-can-now-be-your-chef-linguist-and-dj-whats-next-therapist" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shazam</a>.&nbsp;
Meta&#8217;s CEO&nbsp;Mark Zuckerberg&nbsp;said that&nbsp;Instagram&#8217;s Threads&nbsp;has reached a milestone <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/24/12/42525426/threads-reaches-100-million-daily-active-users-as-meta-capitalizes-on-exodus-from-elon-musks-x-to-alternative-platforms" rel="noreferrer noopener">of 100 million daily active users</a>.
Instagram&nbsp;head&nbsp;Adam Mosseri&nbsp;raised concerns about the growing challenge of distinguishing between real and AI-generated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42501178/meta-warns-ai-generated-content-can-be-a-threat-as-instagram-boss-suggests-always-considering-who-it-is-that-is-speaking" rel="noreferrer noopener">images on social media platforms</a>.
Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/technicals/24/12/42509206/soundhound-ai-soars-over-700-short-squeeze-potential-has-traders-talking" rel="noreferrer noopener">SoundHound AI Soars Over 700%: Short Squeeze Potential Has Traders Talking</a>
On Monday, President-elect&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;reportedly met with TikTok CEO&nbsp;Shou Zi Chew&nbsp;at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, as the company seeks intervention from the U.S. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/24/12/42522134/trump-meets-tiktok-ceo-shou-zi-chew-at-mar-a-lago-as-platform-urges-supreme-court-to-block-looming-ban" rel="noreferrer noopener">Supreme Court to prevent a looming ban</a>.
Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42525899/elon-musk-reacts-after-sundar-pichai-shares-veo-2-as-google-looks-to-challenge-openais-sora-in-ai-video-race-looks-impressive" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Reacts After Sundar Pichai Shares Veo 2 As Google Looks To Challenge OpenAI&#8217;s Sora In AI Video Race: &#8216;Looks Impressive&#8217;</a>
PDD Holdings‘&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PDD#NASDAQ">PDD</a>) Temu app has once again secured the top position as the most downloaded free app on Apple's U.S. iOS store, marking its second <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42527567/pdds-temu-tops-ios-downloads-in-us-while-trump-wants-to-impose-100-tariffs-on-chinese-imports" rel="noreferrer noopener">consecutive year at the summit</a>.
Microsoft CEO&nbsp;Satya Nadella&nbsp;shared insights about the transformative impact of AI throughout 2024, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42546621/elon-musk-agrees-as-satya-nadella-reflects-on-ais-global-impact-in-2024-from-cancer-research-to-rainforest-conservation-and-more" rel="noreferrer noopener">with which&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42546621/elon-musk-agrees-as-satya-nadella-reflects-on-ais-global-impact-in-2024-from-cancer-research-to-rainforest-conservation-and-more" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42546621/elon-musk-agrees-as-satya-nadella-reflects-on-ais-global-impact-in-2024-from-cancer-research-to-rainforest-conservation-and-more" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;agrees</a>.
Elon Musk&nbsp;has once again expressed his disapproval of hashtags on&nbsp;X, formerly&nbsp;Twitter, describing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/social-media/24/12/42547615/elon-musk-reiterates-hashtags-are-ugly-and-useless-on-x-even-though-ceo-linda-yaccarino-tried-to-make-them-trendy-again" rel="noreferrer noopener">them as "ugly" and redundant</a>.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Marc Andreessen&nbsp;has lauded&nbsp;OpenAI's Sora&nbsp;video model, suggesting it may have resolved a<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42501018/marc-andreessen-praises-openais-sora-video-model-we-may-have-basically-just-solved-the-fundamental-challenge-of-robotics" rel="noreferrer noopener"> significant challenge in robotics</a>.
OpenAI&nbsp;announced that it is extending the&nbsp;ChatGPT Search&nbsp;engine to all users, including those on the free tier. The AI search engine was initially <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42523020/chatgpt-search-goes-free-openai-challenges-googles-unbroken-search-dominance" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched for paid subscribers in October</a>.
Mondelez International&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MDLZ#NASDAQ">MDLZ</a>) has been leveraging AI to speed up recipe development<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42545590/oreo-ai-cookie-magic-how-mondelez-is-using-tech-to-whip-up-snack-perfection" rel="noreferrer noopener"> and improve flavor profiles</a>.
Grammarly Inc.&#8217;s acquisition of Coda has received a thumbs-up&nbsp;from&nbsp;LinkedIn&nbsp;co-founder&nbsp;Reid Hoffman.&nbsp;The writing assistant company will now be led <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42546973/grammarly-acquires-coda-linkedin-co-founder-reid-hoffman-applauds-move" rel="noreferrer noopener">by the new CEO,&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42546973/grammarly-acquires-coda-linkedin-co-founder-reid-hoffman-applauds-move" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shishir Mehrotra</a>.
OpenAI&nbsp;has unveiled a new feature that lets users call&nbsp;ChatGPT&nbsp;for free, offering a 15-minute call per month through the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42569479/openai-takes-a-page-from-googles-2007-playbook-by-turning-phones-into-an-ai-hotline-with-toll-free-number-1-800-chatgpt" rel="noreferrer noopener">toll-free number&nbsp;</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42569479/openai-takes-a-page-from-googles-2007-playbook-by-turning-phones-into-an-ai-hotline-with-toll-free-number-1-800-chatgpt" rel="noreferrer noopener">1-800-CHATGPT</a>.
Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42553029/apples-iphone-16-stumbles-on-intelligence-awareness-but-pro-max-shines-bright-says-analyst" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple&#8217;s iPhone 16 Stumbles On &#8216;Intelligence&#8217; Awareness, But Pro Max Shines Bright: Analyst</a>
Perplexity AI, backed by&nbsp;Amazon.com Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) founder&nbsp;Jeff Bezos,&nbsp;secured $500 million in funding&nbsp;led by Institutional Venture Partners, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42570376/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-raises-500-million-tripling-its-valuation-to-9-billion-as-competition-with-google-and-openai-heats-up" rel="noreferrer noopener">tripling its valuation to $9 billion</a>.

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Citigourp Global Markets 2% Protected Notes Linked To The Djia

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Instagram Concerned About Challenge In Distinguishing Real And AI-Generated Images, Apple To Launch Foldable iPhone By 2026 & More: Consumer Tech News (December 16-20)

On Friday, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI unveiled its next-generation reasoning model, o3, as the successor to o1, capping off the company's <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42332451/sam-altman-teases-12-days-of-openai-christmas-magic-users-predict-unveiling-of-sora-o1-reasoning-model-and-more">12 days of shipmas</a> announcements.
What Happened: On the final day of its &#8220;12 Days of OpenAI&#8221; event, the AI startup revealed o3, which brings significant advancements in reasoning and coding capabilities.
Alongside o3, Microsoft Corp.-backed (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) OpenAI also introduced o3-mini, a smaller version designed for specific, more targeted applications.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">We announced <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OpenAI</a> o1 just 3 months ago. Today, we announced o3. We have every reason to believe this trajectory will continue. <a href="https://t.co/Ia0b63RXIk">pic.twitter.com/Ia0b63RXIk</a>
&mdash; Noam Brown (@polynoamial) <a href="https://twitter.com/polynoamial/status/1870172996650053653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/technicals/24/12/42509206/soundhound-ai-soars-over-700-short-squeeze-potential-has-traders-talking?itm_source=parsely-api">SoundHound AI Soars 700%: Short Squeeze Potential Has Traders Talking</a>
"We view this as the beginning of the next phase of AI. Where you can use these models to do increasingly complex tasks that require a lot of reasoning," stated OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The company has begun rolling out o3 to select safety researchers, with plans for broader availability soon. The application window closes on Jan. 10.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">if you are a safety researcher, please consider applying to help test o3-mini and o3. excited to get these out for general availability soon. extremely proud of all of openai for the work and ingenuity that went into creating these models; they are great.
&mdash; Sam Altman (@sama) <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1870176283851903152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Altman also stated that the o3-mini may launch by the end of January, followed by the full release of the o3 model.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a> to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Notably, OpenAI skipped over naming the new model &#8220;o2,&#8221; to avoid potential trademark conflicts with British telecom provider O2, <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/openai-announces-new-reasoning-model-o3">according</a> to The Information.
Why It Matters: OpenAI's progress is evident in the ARC-AGI benchmark, where o3 scored 87.5% on the high compute setting, tripling o1's performance on the lower setting.
The ARC-AGI test is often used to measure progress toward achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) by assessing a model's performance in areas that require advanced problem-solving and reasoning.
However, ARC-AGI co-creator François Chollet also noted that o3 struggles with "very easy tasks" in ARC-AGI, suggesting it has "fundamental differences" from human intelligence.&nbsp;
&#8220;While the new model is very impressive and represents a big milestone on the way towards AGI, I don&#8217;t believe this is AGI &#8212; there&#8217;s still a fair number of very easy ARC-AGI-1 tasks that o3 can&#8217;t solve, and we have early indications that ARC-AGI-2 will remain extremely challenging for o3,&#8221; Chollet stated.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Today OpenAI announced o3, its next-gen reasoning model. We&#39;ve worked with OpenAI to test it on ARC-AGI, and we believe it represents a significant breakthrough in getting AI to adapt to novel tasks. It scores 75.7% on the semi-private eval in low-compute mode (for $20 per task… <a href="https://t.co/ESQ9CNVCEA">pic.twitter.com/ESQ9CNVCEA</a>
&mdash; François Chollet (@fchollet) <a href="https://twitter.com/fchollet/status/1870169764762710376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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As part of its &#8220;12 Days of OpenAI&#8221; event, the AI startup rolled out the ChatGPT Search engine to all users, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42523020/chatgpt-search-goes-free-openai-challenges-googles-unbroken-search-dominance">including those on the free tier</a>.
The AI startup also unveiled its text-to-image model, Sora, and introduced a $200 monthly ChatGPT Pro <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42356469/openai-unveils-200-chatgpt-pro-subscription-inside-the-o1-reasoning-model-and-what-it-means-for-power-users">subscription</a>.
Earlier this month, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) also launched the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42446686/google-introduces-ai-agent-prototype-that-can-browse-the-web">second generation</a> of its Gemini AI model to regain its position at the forefront of the AI technology race.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech">following this link</a>.
Read Next:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42499609/micron-gets-investment-from-white-house-china-launches-antitrust-investigation-on-nvidia-apple-faces-1-2-billion-lawsuit-in-california-more-consumer-tech-news-december-9-13?itm_source=parsely-api">Micron Gets Investment From White House, China Launches Antitrust Investigation On Nvidia, Apple Faces $1.2 Billion Lawsuit In California &amp; More: Consumer Tech News</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro">Benzinga Neuro</a> and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

ChatGPT Maker OpenAI Drops o3 Reasoning Model As o1's Successor: Greg Brockman Calls It A 'Breakthrough'

Benzinga readers pick which Magnificent 7 stock could have the best performance if there is a<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/santa-claus-rally"> Santa Claus rally</a> to close 2024 and kickstart 2025.
What Happened: The majority of the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/magnificent-seven">Magnificent 7 stocks </a>have outperformed the S&amp;P 500 year-to-date in 2024. With a limited number of trading days left to close out the year, one last question on the mind of investors is whether there will be a Santa Claus rally.
The term &#8220;Santa Claus rally&#8221; was first used by Yale Hirsch in 1972 in the Stock Trader's Almanac. The term is associated with the last five trading days of a year and the first two days of the following year.
Check This Out: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/24/12/42625025/santa-claus-rally-in-2024-poll-shows-investors-split-on-end-of-year-returns-57-say-this">Santa Claus Rally In 2024? Poll Shows Investors Split On End Of Year Returns, 57% Say This…</a>
Combine the Santa Claus rally potential and the Magnificent 7 outperformance in 2024, and you have the latest Benzinga poll.
"Which Magnificent 7 stock will do the best if there's a Santa Rally?" Benzinga asked.
The results were:
<ul>
<li>NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>): 28%</li>
<li>Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>): 25%</li>
<li>Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>): 17%</li>
<li>Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>)(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>): 9%</li>
<li>Apple Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>): 9%</li>
<li>Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>): 7%</li>
<li>Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>): 5%</li>
</ul>
Nvidia was the winner of the poll with more than one-fourth of the vote, which comes as the stock is the top performer among the Mag 7 stocks for year-to-date and five-year gains. Trailing Nvidia was Tesla, with exactly one-fourth of the vote.
Amazon also received a double-digit percentage ranking third at 17%. The other Mag 7 stocks had much smaller percentages in the poll.
Read Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/11/42143676/which-magnificent-7-stock-should-doj-target-next-benzinga-poll-finds-over-50-say">Which Magnificent 7 Stock Should DOJ Target Next? Benzinga Poll Finds Over 50% Say&#8230;</a>
Why It's Important: The expectation for a Santa Claus Rally comes with major stock market indexes enjoying a strong 2024 and could add to their year-to-date gains.
Here are the current year-to-date returns of three of the largest market index ETFs.
<ul>
<li>SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>): +23.8%</li>
<li>Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>): +28.1%</li>
<li>SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DIA#NYSE">DIA</a>): +12.7%</li>
</ul>
For comparison, here are the year-to-date returns of the Magnificent 7 stocks:
<ul>
<li>Nvidia: +177.8%</li>
<li>Tesla: +77.4%</li>
<li>Meta Platforms: +72.9%</li>
<li>Amazon: +49.8%</li>
<li>Alphabet: +38.3%</li>
<li>Apple: +35.8%</li>
<li>Microsoft: +18.7%</li>
</ul>
Nvidia has significantly outperformed the S&amp;P 500 and other major indexes and also the other Magnificent 7 stocks. The Benzinga poll shows that readers think Nvidia could go out on a high note in 2024 and kick 2025 off with a bang if there is a Santa Claus rally.
Only Microsoft trails the S&amp;P 500 and Invesco QQQ Trust year-to-date returns in 2024, showing the strength of the Magnificent 7 stocks this year. 
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/11/42121665/could-another-magnificent-7-stock-beat-nvidia-in-2025-poll-says-not-likely-27-pick-this-potential-winner">A recent Benzinga poll</a> asked if any Magnificent 7 stocks could beat Nvidia for stock returns in 2025. The results were:
<ul>
<li>None – Nvidia will dominate: 48%</li>
<li>Tesla: 27%</li>
<li>Amazon: 8%</li>
<li>Meta: 7%</li>
<li>Alphabet: 6%</li>
<li>Microsoft: 3%</li>
<li>Apple: 2%</li>
</ul>
The poll found the near-majority predicting Nvidia will have the strongest growth in 2025 and dominate the Magnificent 7 stocks once again.
Based on the recent polls, Benzinga readers don't expect the gains for Nvidia to stop anytime soon and a Santa Claus rally could accelerate the company's potential 2025 gains.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42352997/santa-rally-here-are-10-sp-500-stocks-that-historically-outperformed-in-decembers-second-half">Santa Rally: 10 S&amp;P 500 Stocks That Outperform In December&#8217;s Second Half</a></li>
</ul>
The study was conducted by Benzinga from Dec. 18 through Dec. 19, 2024, and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 169 adults.
Image created using photos from Shutterstock.

Exclusives

Trading Ideas

SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust

Which Magnificent 7 Stock Will Do Best In Santa Claus Rally? Tesla Edged Out As 28% Select…

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/20/openai-is-done-with-shipmas-faces-daunting-challenges-for-2025-.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/20/openai-is-done-with-shipmas-faces-daunting-challenges-for-2025-.html</a>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>OpenAI on Friday wrapped up "12 Days of Shipmas," a marketing blitz for new features, products and demos, including Sora, the video-generation AI tool.</li>
<li>It's all part of OpenAI's aggressive growth plan, as it battles startups and tech giants for a bigger piece of the generative AI market.</li>
<li>Heading into 2025, OpenAI faces a ton of challenges, none bigger than co-founder Elon Musk, who has a rival AI startup and is poised to assume major influence in the Trump administration.</li>
</ul>
OpenAI's "<a href="https://openai.com/12-days/">12 Days of Shipmas</a>," which wrapped up on Friday, brought a sense of levity to end the year. The marketing blitz served as a way for the high-profile and controversial AI startup to show it can release an extensive roster of new features and tools while also having some fun.
But when the calendar turns, the company faces some serious challenges. Most notably, there's co-founder <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/elon-musk/">Elon Musk</a>, who now runs rival startup xAI, and is in the midst of a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/13/openai-says-elon-musk-wanted-it-to-be-for-profit-in-2017.html">heated legal battle</a> with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that could have a big impact on the company's future.
&nbsp;
The threat Musk poses to OpenAI is even more significant considering the hefty amount of influence the world's richest person is poised to assume as part of the incoming Trump administration.
In recent months, Musk has sued <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/MSFT/">Microsoft</a>-backed OpenAI and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/30/elon-musk-asks-court-to-block-openai-from-converting-to-a-for-profit.html">asked a court</a> to stop the company from converting to a for-profit corporation from a nonprofit. In posts on X, he <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1863117008319250754">described</a> that effort as a "total scam" and <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1841592690678317368">claimed</a> that "OpenAI is evil." At The New York Times' DealBook Summit earlier this month, Altman <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/openais-active-user-count-soars-to-300-million-people-per-week.html">said</a> he views xAI as a "fierce competitor."
The pressure on OpenAI is tied in large part to its $157 billion valuation, achieved in the two years since the company launched its viral chatbot, ChatGPT, and kicked off the boom in generative AI. OpenAI&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/02/openai-raises-at-157-billion-valuation-microsoft-nvidia-join-round.html">closed its latest $6.6 billion round in October</a>, gearing up to aggressively compete with xAI as well as Microsoft, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOGL/">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/AMZN/">Amazon</a> and Anthropic in a market that's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/insights/data/generative-ai-races-toward-1-3-trillion-in-revenue-by-2032/#:~:text=Generative%20AI%20is%20poised%20to,our%20proprietary%20market%2Dsizing%20model.">predicted to top $1 trillion</a>&nbsp;in revenue within a decade.
Alongside the drama swirling around OpenAI and Altman, the Shipmas shtick served as a way for the company to shift the focus to its technology and generate buzz for its products.
The most significant release over the 12 days was the public launch of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/09/openai-releases-sora-its-buzzy-ai-video-generation-tool.html">Sora</a>, OpenAI's much-hyped video-generation tool, on Dec. 9.
&nbsp;
Using Sora, which OpenAI first announced in February, is relatively simple: A user types out a desired scene, and the engine will return a high-definition video clip. Sora can also create clips inspired by still images and extend existing videos or fill in missing frames.&nbsp;While other AI video tools are available, Sora has been by far the most anticipated because of the power of OpenAI's large language models.
On Wednesday, OpenAI gave users a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/18/openai-makes-chatgpt-available-for-phone-chats.html">new way to talk to its viral chatbot</a>: 1-800-CHATGPT. Those in the U.S. can dial the number (1-800-242-8478) for 15 minutes free per month, OpenAI said, and WhatsApp users globally can message the chatbot at the same number.
Other announcements included the full release of OpenAI's new o1 AI model focused on reasoning, a demo of video and screen-sharing options in ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, the ability to organize work into "Projects" within ChatGPT, a wider rollout of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/31/openai-launches-chatgpt-search-competing-with-google-and-perplexity.html">ChatGPT Search</a> and new developer tools. The company also used the marketing push to talk about its <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/11/apple-launches-its-chatgpt-integration-with-siri.html">integration with Apple</a> for the iPhone, iPad and macOS.
OpenAI closed out its 12-day run of releases on Friday by announcing its newest frontier model, o3, as well as o3 mini. On a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKBG1sqdyIU">livestream</a>, Altman said the company would not publicly launch the models Friday but would make them immediately available for public safety testing.
The company launched o1 in September, and in skipping straight to o3, Altman said he's continuing "the grand tradition of OpenAI being really, truly bad at names."
The campaign was celebrated in some corners for the company's ability to make a strong year-end push, and criticized by others as significantly more hype than substance. Either way, OpenAI is well aware that competition is heating up —&nbsp;and quickly.
One of its chief rivals, Amazon-backed Anthropic, was founded by early OpenAI researchers and has been attracting top talent. In May, OpenAI safety leader Jan Leike left OpenAI for Anthropic, and in August, OpenAI co-founder John Schulman announced he was <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/06/openai-co-founder-john-schulman-says-he-will-join-rival-anthropic.html">leaving</a> to join the rival startup. They were part of a wave of departures that culminated in September, when <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/25/openai-cto-mira-murati-announces-shes-leaving-the-company.html">three top leaders</a>, most notably technology chief Mira Murati, announced their exits on the same day.
<h2>Microsoft tension</h2>
A recent report by Anthropic investor Menlo Ventures found that OpenAI <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/business-spending-on-ai-surged-500percent-this-year-to-13point8-billion-says-menlo-ventures.html">ceded market share</a> this year in enterprise AI, declining from 50% to 34%, while Anthropic doubled its market share from 12% to 24%. The results came from a survey of 600 enterprise IT decision-makers from companies with 50 or more employees, according to the report.
One key area where the two companies appear poised to go head-to-head is in defense, as AI companies walk back earlier bans on military use of their products and enter into partnerships with big players in the industry and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The day before OpenAI's Shipmas event began, the company <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/openai-partners-with-defense-company-anduril.html">announced a partnership with Anduril</a>, allowing the defense tech provider to deploy advanced AI systems for "national security missions." Last month, Anthropic and defense software vendor <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/PLTR/">Palantir</a> announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services to "provide U.S. intelligence and defense agencies access" to Anthropic's AI systems.
The primary battle, though, is still for users. Altman <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/openais-active-user-count-soars-to-300-million-people-per-week.html">said publicly</a> earlier this month that OpenAI now has 300 million weekly active users. Over the next year, the company is reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e91cb018-873c-4388-84c0-46e9f82146b4">targeting 1 billion</a>.
That level of growth will likely require a pricey marketing push and fast-tracked feature launches, as the company advances in its two-year timeline for transitioning from a nonprofit into a fully for-profit company. Earlier this month, OpenAI announced it had hired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/03/openai-hires-first-marketing-chief-from-coinbase.html">its first chief marketing officer</a>, nabbing Kate Rouch from crypto company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/COIN/">Coinbase</a>.
Then there's the increasingly complicated relationship with Microsoft, OpenAI's lead investor and key cloud provider. While both companies continue to tout the value of their close partnership, there are increasing signs of tension.
&nbsp;
Following Altman's abrupt but short-lived ouster from OpenAI late last year, reports surfaced that Microsoft CEO <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/satya-nadella/">Satya Nadella</a> was not briefed beforehand. After Altman was quickly reinstated, OpenAI gave Microsoft a non-voting board seat. Microsoft&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/11/microsoft-giving-up-openai-board-observer-seat-doesnt-settle-concerns.html">relinquished</a>&nbsp;the position in July.
In March, Nadella&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/19/microsoft-names-deepmind-co-founder-mustafa-suleyman-as-ceo-of-ai-unit.html">brought</a>&nbsp;on Mustafa Suleyman, who had co-founded AI research company DeepMind and sold it to Google in 2014. Suleyman, later co-founded and led startup Inflection AI, and was effectively acquihired by Microsoft.
In its annual report published in July, Microsoft named OpenAI as a competitor, adding the company to a roster that for years has included megacap peers&nbsp;Amazon,&nbsp;Apple,&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/META/">Meta</a>. And in October, OpenAI&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/31/openai-launches-chatgpt-search-competing-with-google-and-perplexity.html">debuted a search feature within ChatGPT</a>&nbsp;that positions it to better compete with search engines like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOGL/">Google</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/MSFT/">Microsoft</a>'s Bing.
But the thorniest issue heading into the new year likely involves Musk, who has been a fixture at President-elect <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/donald-trump/">Donald Trump's</a> Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since the election.
Trump has said in the past that he would repeal President <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/joe-biden/">Joe Biden's</a> AI executive order, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/30/biden-unveils-us-governments-first-ever-ai-executive-order.html">issued</a> in October 2023, which introduced new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance and research on AI's impact on the labor market.
Musk is set to to lead the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is expected to function as an advisory office, alongside onetime Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. His new role could give Musk, who also runs <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/TSLA/">Tesla</a> and SpaceX and owns social media company X, influence over federal agencies' budgets, staffing and regulations in ways that favor his companies.
"Starting to feel like The @DOGE has real potential," Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1857667225852826080">posted</a> on X last month.
OpenAI did not provide a comment for the story, and Musk didn't respond to a request for comment.

'OpenAI Is Done With Shipmas And Staring Down Daunting Challenges For 2025' - CNBC

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders will search for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges heavily from its normal worth. High amounts of trading activity could push option prices to exaggerated or underestimated levels. 
Here's the list of options activity happening in today's session: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>NVDA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$135.00</td>
<td>$39.0K</td>
<td>126.0K</td>
<td>193.7K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AAPL</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$252.50</td>
<td>$26.8K</td>
<td>51.3K</td>
<td>64.2K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PLTR</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$75.00</td>
<td>$276.2K</td>
<td>26.3K</td>
<td>35.1K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AMD</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>01/17/25</td>
<td>$130.00</td>
<td>$27.9K</td>
<td>25.3K</td>
<td>5.6K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSFT</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>08/15/25</td>
<td>$430.00</td>
<td>$65.7K</td>
<td>377</td>
<td>5.1K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AVGO</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>02/21/25</td>
<td>$290.00</td>
<td>$43.4K</td>
<td>2.0K</td>
<td>2.5K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MU</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>01/17/25</td>
<td>$65.00</td>
<td>$25.4K</td>
<td>14.0K</td>
<td>2.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSTR</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>01/17/25</td>
<td>$365.00</td>
<td>$332.5K</td>
<td>563</td>
<td>836</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ANET</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>03/21/25</td>
<td>$150.00</td>
<td>$34.9K</td>
<td>212</td>
<td>616</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>DELL</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>01/16/26</td>
<td>$105.00</td>
<td>$807.0K</td>
<td>1.5K</td>
<td>601</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These itemized elaborations have been created using the accompanying table. 
• For NVDA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, is expiring today. Parties traded 674 contract(s) at a $135.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 9 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $39.0K, with a price of $58.0 per contract. There were 126041 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 193782 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AAPL (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, is expiring today. Parties traded 200 contract(s) at a $252.50 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $26.8K, with a price of $134.0 per contract. There were 51345 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 64253 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For PLTR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PLTR#NASDAQ">PLTR</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be neutral, is expiring today. Parties traded 850 contract(s) at a $75.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $276.2K, with a price of $325.0 per contract. There were 26362 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 35154 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AMD (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 28 day(s) on January 17, 2025. This event was a transfer of 99 contract(s) at a $130.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 7 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $27.9K, with a price of $282.0 per contract. There were 25310 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 5644 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For MSFT (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), we notice a put option trade that happens to be bullish, expiring in 238 day(s) on August 15, 2025. This event was a transfer of 27 contract(s) at a $430.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $65.7K, with a price of $2435.0 per contract. There were 377 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 5131 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AVGO (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 63 day(s) on February 21, 2025. This event was a transfer of 180 contract(s) at a $290.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 4 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $43.4K, with a price of $241.0 per contract. There were 2010 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2567 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding MU (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MU#NASDAQ">MU</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 28 day(s) on January 17, 2025. Parties traded 1958 contract(s) at a $65.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 38 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $25.4K, with a price of $13.0 per contract. There were 14009 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2066 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For MSTR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSTR#NASDAQ">MSTR</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bullish, expiring in 28 day(s) on January 17, 2025. This event was a transfer of 100 contract(s) at a $365.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $332.5K, with a price of $3325.0 per contract. There were 563 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 836 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For ANET (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ANET#NYSE">ANET</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 91 day(s) on March 21, 2025. This event was a transfer of 200 contract(s) at a $150.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 16 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $34.9K, with a price of $175.0 per contract. There were 212 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 616 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding DELL (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DELL#NYSE">DELL</a>), we observe a put option trade with neutral sentiment. It expires in 392 day(s) on January 16, 2026. Parties traded 600 contract(s) at a $105.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $807.0K, with a price of $1345.0 per contract. There were 1579 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 601 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more news on unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Options

ANET

DELL

MSTR

PLTR

10 Information Technology Stocks Whale Activity In Today's Session

Amidst the fast-paced and highly competitive business environment of today, conducting comprehensive company analysis is essential for investors and industry enthusiasts. In this article, we will delve into an extensive industry comparison, evaluating Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) in comparison to its major competitors within the Software industry. By analyzing critical financial metrics, market position, and growth potential, our objective is to provide valuable insights for investors and offer a deeper understanding of company's performance in the industry.
<h3>Microsoft Background</h3>
Microsoft develops and licenses consumer and enterprise software. It is known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity suite. The company is organized into three equally sized broad segments: productivity and business processes (legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, Dynamics), intelligence cloud (infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings Azure, Windows Server OS, SQL Server), and more personal computing (Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktops).
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Company</th>
<th>P/E</th>
<th>P/B</th>
<th>P/S</th>
<th>ROE</th>
<th>EBITDA (in billions)</th>
<th>Gross Profit (in billions)</th>
<th>Revenue Growth</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Microsoft Corp</td>
<td>36.09</td>
<td>11.29</td>
<td>12.84</td>
<td>8.87%</td>
<td>$38.23</td>
<td>$45.49</td>
<td>16.04%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oracle Corp</td>
<td>41.27</td>
<td>34.34</td>
<td>8.74</td>
<td>25.66%</td>
<td>$5.75</td>
<td>$9.97</td>
<td>8.64%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ServiceNow Inc</td>
<td>167.43</td>
<td>23.87</td>
<td>21.33</td>
<td>4.81%</td>
<td>$0.67</td>
<td>$2.21</td>
<td>22.25%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Palo Alto Networks Inc</td>
<td>49.12</td>
<td>21.02</td>
<td>16.23</td>
<td>6.33%</td>
<td>$0.45</td>
<td>$1.58</td>
<td>13.88%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CrowdStrike Holdings Inc</td>
<td>688.29</td>
<td>28.27</td>
<td>23.47</td>
<td>-0.57%</td>
<td>$0.05</td>
<td>$0.76</td>
<td>28.52%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fortinet Inc</td>
<td>47.66</td>
<td>80.06</td>
<td>12.81</td>
<td>90.26%</td>
<td>$0.66</td>
<td>$1.24</td>
<td>13.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gen Digital Inc</td>
<td>27.73</td>
<td>8.06</td>
<td>4.49</td>
<td>7.92%</td>
<td>$0.51</td>
<td>$0.78</td>
<td>3.07%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Monday.Com Ltd</td>
<td>522.53</td>
<td>11.54</td>
<td>12.74</td>
<td>-1.28%</td>
<td>$-0.02</td>
<td>$0.23</td>
<td>32.67%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dolby Laboratories Inc</td>
<td>28.80</td>
<td>2.98</td>
<td>5.92</td>
<td>2.39%</td>
<td>$0.07</td>
<td>$0.27</td>
<td>4.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CommVault Systems Inc</td>
<td>40.16</td>
<td>24.91</td>
<td>7.95</td>
<td>5.56%</td>
<td>$0.02</td>
<td>$0.19</td>
<td>16.06%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>QXO Inc</td>
<td>28.28</td>
<td>1.45</td>
<td>25.77</td>
<td>-0.21%</td>
<td>$-0.03</td>
<td>$0.01</td>
<td>-2.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Qualys Inc</td>
<td>31.48</td>
<td>11.61</td>
<td>9.03</td>
<td>10.53%</td>
<td>$0.05</td>
<td>$0.13</td>
<td>8.36%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Teradata Corp</td>
<td>37.92</td>
<td>24.68</td>
<td>1.78</td>
<td>32.0%</td>
<td>$0.08</td>
<td>$0.27</td>
<td>0.46%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Progress Software Corp</td>
<td>35.44</td>
<td>6.65</td>
<td>4.09</td>
<td>6.88%</td>
<td>$0.06</td>
<td>$0.15</td>
<td>2.11%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SolarWinds Corp</td>
<td>64.91</td>
<td>1.79</td>
<td>3.12</td>
<td>0.94%</td>
<td>$0.07</td>
<td>$0.18</td>
<td>5.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average</td>
<td>129.36</td>
<td>20.09</td>
<td>11.25</td>
<td>13.66%</td>
<td>$0.6</td>
<td>$1.28</td>
<td>11.24%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<style>
 table {
 width: 100%;
 border-collapse: collapse;
 font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
 font-size: 14px;
 }

 th, td {
 padding: 8px;
 text-align: left;
 }

 th {
 background-color: #293a5a;
 color: #fff;
 text-align: left;
 }

 tr:nth-child(even) {
 background-color: #f2f4f8;
 }

 tr:hover {
 background-color: #e1e4ea;
 }

 td:nth-child(3), td:nth-child(5) {
 text-align: left;
 }

 .dividend-amount {
 font-weight: bold;
 color: #0d6efd;
 }

 .dividend-frequency {
 font-size: 12px;
 color: #6c757d;
 }
 </style>After thoroughly examining Microsoft, the following trends can be inferred: 
<ul>
<li>
With a Price to Earnings ratio of 36.09, which is 0.28x less than the industry average, the stock shows potential for growth at a reasonable price, making it an interesting consideration for market participants.
</li>
<li>
Considering a Price to Book ratio of 11.29, which is well below the industry average by 0.56x, the stock may be undervalued based on its book value compared to its peers.
</li>
<li>
The Price to Sales ratio of 12.84, which is 1.14x the industry average, suggests the stock could potentially be overvalued in relation to its sales performance compared to its peers.
</li>
<li>
With a Return on Equity (ROE) of 8.87% that is 4.79% below the industry average, it appears that the company exhibits potential inefficiency in utilizing equity to generate profits.
</li>
<li>
The company has higher Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) of $38.23 Billion, which is 63.72x above the industry average, indicating stronger profitability and robust cash flow generation.
</li>
<li>
With higher gross profit of $45.49 Billion, which indicates 35.54x above the industry average, the company demonstrates stronger profitability and higher earnings from its core operations.
</li>
<li>
The company's revenue growth of 16.04% is notably higher compared to the industry average of 11.24%, showcasing exceptional sales performance and strong demand for its products or services.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Debt To Equity Ratio</h3>
<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2024/1734706816_0.png" alt="debt to equity" />
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio helps evaluate the capital structure and financial leverage of a company.
Considering the debt-to-equity ratio in industry comparisons allows for a concise evaluation of a company's financial health and risk profile, aiding in informed decision-making.
When examining Microsoft in comparison to its top 4 peers with respect to the Debt-to-Equity ratio, the following information becomes apparent:
<ul>
<li>
Microsoft demonstrates a stronger financial position compared to its top 4 peers in the sector.
</li>
<li>
With a lower debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, the company relies less on debt financing and maintains a healthier balance between debt and equity, which can be viewed positively by investors.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Takeaways</h3>
The low PE and PB ratios suggest that Microsoft is undervalued compared to its peers in the Software industry. However, the high PS ratio indicates that the market values Microsoft's revenue more highly. In terms of profitability, Microsoft's low ROE may be a concern, despite its high EBITDA and gross profit margins. The high revenue growth rate reflects positively on Microsoft's future prospects within the industry.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Comparing Microsoft With Industry Competitors In Software Industry

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) shares closed slightly lower <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42547442/microsof-scoops-up-485000-nvidia-ai-chips-twice-as-many-as-its-closest-rival-meta-report">during Thursday's session</a>.
Microsoft has reportedly acquired nearly twice as many Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) AI chips as its closest competitors. This strategic investment is aimed at bolstering its AI capabilities, particularly for its Azure cloud services.
On Wednesday, UBS analyst Karl Keirstead maintained Microsoft with a Buy rating and raised the price target from $500 to $525, while Stifel analyst Brad Reback maintained the stock with a Buy and increased the price target from $475 to $515.
With the recent buzz around Microsoft, some investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company's dividends too. As of now, Microsoft offers an annual dividend yield of 0.76%, which is a quarterly dividend amount of 83 cents per share ($3.32 a year).
So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?
To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends alone, you would need an investment of approximately $789,713 or around 1,807 shares. For a more modest $100 per month or $1,200 per year, you would need $157,768 or around 361 shares.
To calculate: Divide the desired annual income ($6,000 or $1,200) by the dividend ($3.32 in this case). So, $6,000 / $3.32 = 1,807 ($500 per month), and $1,200 / $3.32 = 361 shares ($100 per month).
Note that dividend yield can change on a rolling basis, as the dividend payment and the stock price both fluctuate over time.
How that works: The dividend yield is computed by dividing the annual dividend payment by the stock&#8217;s current price.
For example, if a stock pays an annual dividend of $2 and is currently priced at $50, the dividend yield would be 4% ($2/$50). However, if the stock price increases to $60, the dividend yield drops to 3.33% ($2/$60). Conversely, if the stock price falls to $40, the dividend yield rises to 5% ($2/$40).
Similarly, changes in the dividend payment can impact the yield. If a company increases its dividend, the yield will also increase, provided the stock price stays the same. Conversely, if the dividend payment decreases, so will the yield.
MSFT Price Action: Shares of Microsoft slipped 0.1% to close at $437.03 on Thursday.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="How to Find Dividend Stocks: Scan, Analyze, and Capture with Benzinga Pro" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pVF0O2lsEH4?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
Read More: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42582254/top-3-consumer-stocks-you-may-want-to-dump-this-quarter">Top 3 Consumer Stocks You May Want To Dump This Quarter</a></li>
</ul>
Photo: Shutterstock

Long Ideas

How To Earn $500 A Month From Microsoft Stock

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has criticized Elon Musk, calling him a legendary entrepreneur but also a &#8220;bully.&#8221;
What Happened: In an interview with Free Press Journal, Altman noted that Musk would likely be content with OpenAI&#8217;s progress if he was at the helm.
&#8220;Elon definitely did a lot to help open in the early days and in spite of all of this I&#8217;m very grateful and I think he&#8217;s just a sort of legendary entrepreneur,&#8221; Altman stated, adding, &#8220;He&#8217;s also clearly a bully and he&#8217;s also someone who clearly likes to get in fights. Now it&#8217;s me, it&#8217;s been Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg lots of other people.&#8221;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42568204/nvidia-and-apple-team-up-to-supercharge-llms-with-redrafter-technique?itm_source=parsely-api">Nvidia, Apple Team Up To Supercharge ChatGPT-Like LLMs With ReDrafter Technique</a>
Musk has filed multiple lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing the organization of prioritizing profits over public good and violating its founding principles.
Last month, he sought a court injunction to block OpenAI from continuing its for-profit operations. The xAI owner has also been targeting ChatGPT-parent on X, formerly Twitter.
&#8220;Our job is to build AGI [artificial general intelligence] in a way that benefits humanity,&#8221; Altman said in response. &#8220;Not to engage in a Twitter fight with Elon.&#8221;
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sam Altman on His Feud With Elon Musk" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zbDD2KAzuBU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
Subscribe to the <a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a> to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters: The feud between Musk and Altman has drawn attention because of the Tesla CEO&#8217;s latest alliance with Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>), led by Mark Zuckerberg.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42495758/elon-musk-finds-an-unlikely-ally-in-mark-zuckerbergs-meta-in-his-fight-against-sam-altmans-openai">Meta has supported Musk&#8217;s stance</a> against OpenAI&#8217;s for-profit transition, arguing that assets developed under its nonprofit status should not be used for private gain. This alliance is notable given Musk&#8217;s previous disagreements with Zuckerberg.
Earlier this month, OpenAI made a series of emails public revealing that <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42499756/musk-backed-for-profit-direction-for-openai-leaked-emails-say">Musk once advocated for a profit-making</a> business model, contradicting his current public disapproval of OpenAI&#8217;s shift.
Musk has also continuously targeted Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) investment into OpenAI, which has now <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/startups/24/10/41556636/microsoft-and-openai-clash-over-14-billion-as-the-ai-leader-converts-to-a-for-profit-business-disrup">reached about $14 billion</a>.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech">following this link</a>.
Read Next:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42546621/elon-musk-agrees-as-satya-nadella-reflects-on-ais-global-impact-in-2024-from-cancer-research-to-rainforest-conservation-and-more?itm_source=parsely-api">Elon Musk Agrees With Satya Nadella As Microsoft CEO Reflects On ‘Incredible Speed' Of AI Diffusion In 2024</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro">Benzinga Neuro</a> and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Elon Musk A Legendary Entrepreneur But Also A Bully, Says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: 'Now It's Me, It's Been Bezos, Gates, Zuckerberg, Lots Of Other People'

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders often look for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges away from its normal worth. Abnormal amounts of trading activity could push option prices to hyperbolic or underperforming levels. 
Below are some instances of options activity happening in the Information Technology sector: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>NVDA</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>12/27/24</td>
<td>$130.00</td>
<td>$165.7K</td>
<td>45.0K</td>
<td>19.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PLTR</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>12/27/24</td>
<td>$70.00</td>
<td>$27.0K</td>
<td>5.9K</td>
<td>16.4K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RGTI</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/16/25</td>
<td>$12.00</td>
<td>$28.0K</td>
<td>10.5K</td>
<td>12.4K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AVGO</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$220.00</td>
<td>$112.7K</td>
<td>5.2K</td>
<td>11.6K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSFT</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$440.00</td>
<td>$31.5K</td>
<td>15.1K</td>
<td>10.2K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>IREN</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>03/21/25</td>
<td>$17.00</td>
<td>$31.0K</td>
<td>20.7K</td>
<td>8.9K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MSTR</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$300.00</td>
<td>$31.5K</td>
<td>15.3K</td>
<td>7.7K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CLSK</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>03/21/25</td>
<td>$17.00</td>
<td>$110.4K</td>
<td>6.4K</td>
<td>1.8K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SOUN</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>01/17/25</td>
<td>$18.00</td>
<td>$53.7K</td>
<td>2.3K</td>
<td>1.4K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ADBE</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>NEUTRAL</td>
<td>12/27/24</td>
<td>$430.00</td>
<td>$29.5K</td>
<td>147</td>
<td>1.4K</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These bullet-by-bullet explanations have been constructed using the accompanying table. 
• Regarding NVDA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 8 day(s) on December 27, 2024. Parties traded 650 contract(s) at a $130.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $165.7K, with a price of $255.0 per contract. There were 45036 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 19046 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding PLTR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PLTR#NASDAQ">PLTR</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 8 day(s) on December 27, 2024. Parties traded 171 contract(s) at a $70.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 32 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $27.0K, with a price of $158.0 per contract. There were 5965 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 16449 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For RGTI (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RGTI#NASDAQ">RGTI</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 148 day(s) on May 16, 2025. This event was a transfer of 100 contract(s) at a $12.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $28.0K, with a price of $280.0 per contract. There were 10510 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 12429 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AVGO (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AVGO#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 1 day(s) on December 20, 2024. This event was a transfer of 347 contract(s) at a $220.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $112.7K, with a price of $325.0 per contract. There were 5250 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 11608 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding MSFT (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 1 day(s) on December 20, 2024. Parties traded 89 contract(s) at a $440.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 8 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.5K, with a price of $354.0 per contract. There were 15138 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 10287 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding IREN (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IREN#NASDAQ">IREN</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 92 day(s) on March 21, 2025. Parties traded 239 contract(s) at a $17.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 11 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.0K, with a price of $130.0 per contract. There were 20717 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 8915 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding MSTR (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSTR#NASDAQ">MSTR</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 1 day(s) on December 20, 2024. Parties traded 150 contract(s) at a $300.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 8 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.5K, with a price of $210.0 per contract. There were 15354 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 7796 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For CLSK (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CLSK#NASDAQ">CLSK</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 92 day(s) on March 21, 2025. This event was a transfer of 617 contract(s) at a $17.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 14 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $110.4K, with a price of $179.0 per contract. There were 6425 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1816 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding SOUN (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SOUN#NASDAQ">SOUN</a>), we observe a call option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 29 day(s) on January 17, 2025. Parties traded 125 contract(s) at a $18.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $53.7K, with a price of $430.0 per contract. There were 2370 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1470 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding ADBE (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ADBE#NASDAQ">ADBE</a>), we observe a put option trade with neutral sentiment. It expires in 8 day(s) on December 27, 2024. Parties traded 136 contract(s) at a $430.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $29.5K, with a price of $217.0 per contract. There were 147 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1439 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more about unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

ADBE

CLSK

IREN

RGTI

SOUN

10 Information Technology Stocks With Whale Alerts In Today's Session

In the ever-evolving and intensely competitive business landscape, conducting a thorough company analysis is of utmost importance for investors and industry followers. In this article, we will carry out an in-depth industry comparison, assessing Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) alongside its primary competitors in the Software industry. By meticulously examining key financial metrics, market positioning, and growth prospects, we aim to offer valuable insights to investors and shed light on company's performance within the industry.
<h3>Microsoft Background</h3>
Microsoft develops and licenses consumer and enterprise software. It is known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity suite. The company is organized into three equally sized broad segments: productivity and business processes (legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, Dynamics), intelligence cloud (infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings Azure, Windows Server OS, SQL Server), and more personal computing (Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktops).
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Company</th>
<th>P/E</th>
<th>P/B</th>
<th>P/S</th>
<th>ROE</th>
<th>EBITDA (in billions)</th>
<th>Gross Profit (in billions)</th>
<th>Revenue Growth</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Microsoft Corp</td>
<td>36.12</td>
<td>11.30</td>
<td>12.86</td>
<td>8.87%</td>
<td>$38.23</td>
<td>$45.49</td>
<td>16.04%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oracle Corp</td>
<td>40.44</td>
<td>33.66</td>
<td>8.56</td>
<td>25.66%</td>
<td>$5.75</td>
<td>$9.97</td>
<td>8.64%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ServiceNow Inc</td>
<td>165.26</td>
<td>23.56</td>
<td>21.06</td>
<td>4.81%</td>
<td>$0.67</td>
<td>$2.21</td>
<td>22.25%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Palo Alto Networks Inc</td>
<td>48.96</td>
<td>20.95</td>
<td>16.18</td>
<td>6.33%</td>
<td>$0.45</td>
<td>$1.58</td>
<td>13.88%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CrowdStrike Holdings Inc</td>
<td>684.67</td>
<td>28.13</td>
<td>23.34</td>
<td>-0.57%</td>
<td>$0.05</td>
<td>$0.76</td>
<td>28.52%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fortinet Inc</td>
<td>46.91</td>
<td>78.80</td>
<td>12.61</td>
<td>90.26%</td>
<td>$0.66</td>
<td>$1.24</td>
<td>13.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gen Digital Inc</td>
<td>27.99</td>
<td>8.14</td>
<td>4.53</td>
<td>7.92%</td>
<td>$0.51</td>
<td>$0.78</td>
<td>3.07%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Monday.Com Ltd</td>
<td>539.16</td>
<td>11.90</td>
<td>13.14</td>
<td>-1.28%</td>
<td>$-0.02</td>
<td>$0.23</td>
<td>32.67%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dolby Laboratories Inc</td>
<td>28.69</td>
<td>2.97</td>
<td>5.90</td>
<td>2.39%</td>
<td>$0.07</td>
<td>$0.27</td>
<td>4.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CommVault Systems Inc</td>
<td>40.33</td>
<td>25.01</td>
<td>7.99</td>
<td>5.56%</td>
<td>$0.02</td>
<td>$0.19</td>
<td>16.06%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>QXO Inc</td>
<td>28.05</td>
<td>1.44</td>
<td>25.56</td>
<td>-0.21%</td>
<td>$-0.03</td>
<td>$0.01</td>
<td>-2.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Qualys Inc</td>
<td>31.19</td>
<td>11.50</td>
<td>8.95</td>
<td>10.53%</td>
<td>$0.05</td>
<td>$0.13</td>
<td>8.36%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Teradata Corp</td>
<td>37.21</td>
<td>24.22</td>
<td>1.74</td>
<td>32.0%</td>
<td>$0.08</td>
<td>$0.27</td>
<td>0.46%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Progress Software Corp</td>
<td>35.56</td>
<td>6.67</td>
<td>4.10</td>
<td>6.88%</td>
<td>$0.06</td>
<td>$0.15</td>
<td>2.11%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SolarWinds Corp</td>
<td>63.14</td>
<td>1.74</td>
<td>3.03</td>
<td>0.94%</td>
<td>$0.07</td>
<td>$0.18</td>
<td>5.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average</td>
<td>129.83</td>
<td>19.91</td>
<td>11.19</td>
<td>13.66%</td>
<td>$0.6</td>
<td>$1.28</td>
<td>11.24%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<style>
 table {
 width: 100%;
 border-collapse: collapse;
 font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
 font-size: 14px;
 }

 th, td {
 padding: 8px;
 text-align: left;
 }

 th {
 background-color: #293a5a;
 color: #fff;
 text-align: left;
 }

 tr:nth-child(even) {
 background-color: #f2f4f8;
 }

 tr:hover {
 background-color: #e1e4ea;
 }

 td:nth-child(3), td:nth-child(5) {
 text-align: left;
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 font-weight: bold;
 color: #0d6efd;
 }

 .dividend-frequency {
 font-size: 12px;
 color: #6c757d;
 }
 </style>Through a meticulous analysis of Microsoft, we can observe the following trends: 
<ul>
<li>
At 36.12, the stock's Price to Earnings ratio is 0.28x less than the industry average, suggesting favorable growth potential.
</li>
<li>
Considering a Price to Book ratio of 11.3, which is well below the industry average by 0.57x, the stock may be undervalued based on its book value compared to its peers.
</li>
<li>
The stock's relatively high Price to Sales ratio of 12.86, surpassing the industry average by 1.15x, may indicate an aspect of overvaluation in terms of sales performance.
</li>
<li>
The company has a lower Return on Equity (ROE) of 8.87%, which is 4.79% below the industry average. This indicates potential inefficiency in utilizing equity to generate profits, which could be attributed to various factors.
</li>
<li>
The company exhibits higher Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) of $38.23 Billion, which is 63.72x above the industry average, implying stronger profitability and robust cash flow generation.
</li>
<li>
Compared to its industry, the company has higher gross profit of $45.49 Billion, which indicates 35.54x above the industry average, indicating stronger profitability and higher earnings from its core operations.
</li>
<li>
The company's revenue growth of 16.04% is notably higher compared to the industry average of 11.24%, showcasing exceptional sales performance and strong demand for its products or services.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Debt To Equity Ratio</h3>
<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2024/1734620419_0.png" alt="debt to equity" />
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio assesses the extent to which a company relies on borrowed funds compared to its equity.
Considering the debt-to-equity ratio in industry comparisons allows for a concise evaluation of a company's financial health and risk profile, aiding in informed decision-making.
In terms of the Debt-to-Equity ratio, Microsoft can be assessed by comparing it to its top 4 peers, resulting in the following observations:
<ul>
<li>
Microsoft has a stronger financial position compared to its top 4 peers, as evidenced by its lower debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.
</li>
<li>
This suggests that the company has a more favorable balance between debt and equity, which can be perceived as a positive indicator by investors.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Takeaways</h3>
For Microsoft in the Software industry, the PE and PB ratios suggest that the stock is undervalued compared to its peers. However, the high PS ratio indicates that the stock may be overvalued based on revenue. In terms of ROE, Microsoft's performance is lower than its peers, while its high EBITDA and gross profit margins indicate strong operational efficiency. Additionally, the high revenue growth rate suggests potential for future expansion and market dominance.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Evaluating Microsoft Against Peers In Software Industry

"Investors should proceed with cautious optimism," Howard Chan, founder and CEO of Kurv Investment Management, told Benzinga in <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/exclusives">an exclusive interview</a>. 
While tech leaders like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) boast strong fundamentals, Chan said their valuations are "stretched."
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Apple, Tesla: Stretched Valuations But Long-Term Potential</h2>
Apple and Tesla, often regarded as bellwethers for tech innovation, are facing increasing scrutiny from investors. Chan noted their dominant positions in their respective markets but emphasized the risks tied to their lofty valuations.
Apple's recent focus on AI and augmented reality has garnered attention, but investors may need to weigh its ability to expand its hardware and software ecosystem sustainably, he told Benzinga. Meanwhile, Tesla's rapid scale in electric vehicles is undeniable, but competition from legacy automakers and new entrants has intensified.
Chan underscores a critical point for both giants: "A correction is not a question of if but when." Despite this, he advises against completely exiting the tech sector, citing potential tax implications and the challenges of timing reentry.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Strategic Insights</h2>
For those eyeing diversification, Chan recommends the Kurv Technology Titans Select ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/KQQQ#NASDAQ">KQQQ</a>), which he says "balances momentum weighting during bull cycles with income generation during downturns." This strategy could mitigate risks while maintaining exposure to tech leaders like Apple and Tesla.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beyond The Giants</h2>
Cloud computing remains a strong growth segment, with giants like Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) positioned for further international expansion.
Read Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/12/42569744/apple-reportedly-in-talks-with-tencent-tiktok-parent-bytedance-to-roll-out-ai-features-in-china">Apple Reportedly In Talks With Tencent, TikTok-Parent ByteDance To Roll Out AI Features In China</a>
Chan sees a similar pattern of cautious optimism for AI-focused firms, highlighting the &#8220;delivery risk&#8221; they face.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hardware To Power Future Gains</h2>
Chan sees parallels in the growth trajectory of Apple and Tesla with the broader AI hardware sector. He predicts that "chipmakers and cloud computing service providers" will benefit from increased capital expenditures, a trend that could also support Apple's and Tesla's innovation pipelines in areas like AI, EVs and autonomous driving.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/12/42575664/__trashed-341">Tesla Reportedly In Talks With Austin To Bring Autonomous Vehicles To Texas Roads: Elon Musk-Led EV Giant Rises 3% In Pre Market</a></li>
</ul>
Image: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook &#x7C; Photos courtesy: Shutterstock and Flickr

Interview

ETFs

KQQQ

EXCLUSIVE: Are Apple, Tesla 2025's Tech Titans Or Bubble Trouble? Kurv CEO Dishes On AI, Cloud And More

Perplexity AI, backed by Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41420230/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-aims-for-8b-valuation-in-new-funding-round-ai-fueled-google-challen">secured $500 million in funding</a> led by Institutional Venture Partners, tripling its valuation to $9 billion, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d4fb70f9-b971-433b-884c-2f01d1d08968">reported</a> the Financial Times on Wednesday, citing sources. 
What Happened: The San Francisco-based startup has seen rapid growth in 2024, processing hundreds of millions of monthly queries from 15 million active users, mostly in the U.S. The company&#8217;s market share in AI search increased from 2.7% to 5.8% this year, according to FirstPageSage data.
Perplexity challenges Alphabet Inc.&#8217;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) Google and Microsoft Corp.&#8216;s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) artificial intelligence-powered search offerings, while also taking on OpenAI.
While OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT maintains market leadership with a 73.8% share, followed by Google&#8217;s Gemini at 13.5%, Perplexity&#8217;s growth trajectory has attracted high-profile investors. 
OpenAI&#8217;s website continues to lead the AI platform race, ranking 92nd globally and 139th in U.S. web traffic, according to recent Similarweb data. The company attracted 250.1 million total visits, showcasing its commanding market position.
Perplexity.ai, while trailing in overall rankings at 467th globally and 547th in the U.S., demonstrated strong user engagement. The platform recorded 58.69 million total visits, with users spending an average of six minutes per session and viewing nearly four pages per visit.
In contrast, Google&#8217;s Gemini platform struggled to gain traction, ranking 12,612th globally and 31,018th in the U.S. The service recorded just 989,992 total visits, with notably high bounce rates suggesting challenges in user retention.
Monthly visit data further highlights the disparity, with OpenAI recording 83.39 million visits compared to Perplexity.ai&#8217;s 19.56 million and Gemini&#8217;s 329,997 visits. While OpenAI leads in raw traffic numbers, 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19035716/Screenshot-2024-12-19-at-2.21.33%E2%80%AFPM-1024x499.png" alt="" class="wp-image-699219" /></figure>
Perplexity AI did not immediately respond to <a href="http://pro.benzinga.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga</a>'s request for comment.
Similarweb data also shows conversations about Perplexity versus ChatGPT surging over the course of the year, largely taking off in August.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="365" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19042831/Perplexity-versus-ChatGPT-1024x365.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-699287" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19042831/Perplexity-versus-ChatGPT-1024x365.jpg 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19042831/Perplexity-versus-ChatGPT-300x107.jpg 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19042831/Perplexity-versus-ChatGPT-768x274.jpg 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/19042831/Perplexity-versus-ChatGPT.jpg 1373w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42569479/openai-takes-a-page-from-googles-2007-playbook-by-turning-phones-into-an-ai-hotline-with-toll-free-number-1-800-chatgpt">OpenAI Takes A Page From Google&#8217;s 2007 Playbook, Turns Phones Into AI Hotlines With 1-800-CHATGPT</a>
Why It Matters: Previous backers of Perplexity include NVIDIA Corp., SoftBank&#8216;s Vision Fund 2, and notable AI experts like Meta Platforms Inc.&#8216;s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun.
The funding comes as competition intensifies in the AI search space. OpenAI recently integrated web searching into ChatGPT, while Anthropic&#8217;s Claude expanded its capabilities with a &#8220;computer use&#8221; feature.
Both Google and Microsoft have incorporated large language models into their search products to provide more conversational results.
Perplexity&#8217;s revenue model relies on subscriptions, with annualized revenues growing from $5 million in January to $35 million in August. The company is now exploring advertising partnerships with major brands, potentially challenging the traditional search <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41420230/jeff-bezos-backed-perplexity-aims-for-8b-valuation-in-new-funding-round-ai-fueled-google-challen">advertising system pioneered by Google</a>.
Read Next: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/12/42569744/apple-reportedly-in-talks-with-tencent-tiktok-parent-bytedance-to-roll-out-ai-features-in-china">Apple Reportedly In Talks With Tencent, TikTok-Parent ByteDance To Roll Out AI Features In China</a></li>
</ul>
Image Via Shutterstock 
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Jeff Bezos-Backed Perplexity Raises $500 Million, Tripling Its Valuation To $9 Billion As Competition With Google And OpenAI Heats Up

OpenAI has unveiled a new feature that lets users call ChatGPT for free, offering a 15-minute call per month through the toll-free number 1-800-CHATGPT.
What Happened: The feature was announced by OpenAI&#8217;s chief product officer, Kevin Weil, during a livestream on Wednesday as part of the "12 Days of OpenAI" event.
The service is powered by OpenAI&#8217;s Realtime API and GPT-4o mini through WhatsApp API integration.
It is currently available to users in the U.S., while international users can access it via WhatsApp at 1-800-242-8478 — OpenAI has coded &#8220;CHATGPT&#8221; as 242-8478 on a phone keypad.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/technicals/24/12/42509206/soundhound-ai-soars-over-700-short-squeeze-potential-has-traders-talking?itm_source=parsely-api">SoundHound AI Soars 700%: Short Squeeze Potential Has Traders Talking</a>
Users don't need to have an account, paid or otherwise, to avail the benefits of this service.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="1-800-CHAT-GPT—12 Days of OpenAI: Day 10" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWa6OHeNK3s?start=383&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
</figure>
Interestingly, this move mirrors Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google&#8217;s 2007 launch of GOOG-411, a free voice directory service.
The toll-free service was discontinued in 2010. Google said it was more of a testing ground for the company&#8217;s broader voice recognition goals.
Subscribe to the <a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a> to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It Matters: The ChatGPT-parent has emerged as a leading player in generative AI, with a valuation of $157 billion and significant investments, such as $14 billion from Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>).
As part of its "<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42523020/chatgpt-search-goes-free-openai-challenges-googles-unbroken-search-dominance">12 Days of OpenAI</a>" event, the AI startup also extended the ChatGPT Search engine to all users, including those on the free tier.
The Sam Altman-led company also debuted its text-to-image model, Sora, along with a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42356469/openai-unveils-200-chatgpt-pro-subscription-inside-the-o1-reasoning-model-and-what-it-means-for-power-users">$200 monthly</a> ChatGPT Pro subscription.
OpenAI has also been battling with some legal troubles. Last week, the company countered Elon Musk&#8217;s legal attempts to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/24/12/42493076/openai-challenges-musks-lawsuit-reveals-2017-profit-talks">block its shift to a fully for-profit model</a>.
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Consumer Tech coverage by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech">following this link</a>.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/24/12/42499609/micron-gets-investment-from-white-house-china-launches-antitrust-investigation-on-nvidia-apple-faces-1-2-billion-lawsuit-in-california-more-consumer-tech-news-december-9-13?itm_source=parsely-api">Micron Gets Investment From White House, China Launches Antitrust Investigation On Nvidia, Apple Faces $1.2 Billion Lawsuit In California &amp; More: Consumer Tech News</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro">Benzinga Neuro</a> and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

OpenAI Takes A Page From Google's 2007 Playbook, Turns Phones Into AI Hotlines With 1-800-CHATGPT

In the preceding three months, 18 analysts have released ratings for Microsoft (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), presenting a wide array of perspectives from bullish to bearish.
The following table encapsulates their recent ratings, offering a glimpse into the evolving sentiments over the past 30 days and comparing them to the preceding months.
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th align="right">Bullish</th>
<th align="right">Somewhat Bullish</th>
<th align="right">Indifferent</th>
<th align="right">Somewhat Bearish</th>
<th align="right">Bearish</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Total Ratings</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">8</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Last 30D</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1M Ago</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">1</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2M Ago</td>
<td align="right">4</td>
<td align="right">5</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3M Ago</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">2</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
<td align="right">0</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The 12-month price targets assessed by analysts reveal further insights, featuring an average target of $507.22, a high estimate of $600.00, and a low estimate of $465.00. This upward trend is apparent, with the current average reflecting a 0.92% increase from the previous average price target of $502.61.
<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2024/1734555647_0.png" alt="price target chart" />
<h2>Decoding Analyst Ratings: A Detailed Look</h2>
An in-depth analysis of recent analyst actions unveils how financial experts perceive Microsoft. The following summary outlines key analysts, their recent evaluations, and adjustments to ratings and price targets.
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Analyst</th>
<th>Analyst Firm</th>
<th>Action Taken</th>
<th>Rating</th>
<th>Current Price Target</th>
<th>Prior Price Target</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Brad Reback</td>
<td>Stifel</td>
<td>Raises</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$515.00</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Karl Keirstead</td>
<td>UBS</td>
<td>Raises</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$525.00</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gregg Moskowitz</td>
<td>Mizuho</td>
<td>Raises</td>
<td>Outperform</td>
<td>$510.00</td>
<td>$480.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rishi Jaluria</td>
<td>RBC Capital</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Outperform</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Karl Keirstead</td>
<td>UBS</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
<td>$510.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mark Murphy</td>
<td>JP Morgan</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Overweight</td>
<td>$465.00</td>
<td>$470.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Derrick Wood</td>
<td>TD Cowen</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
<td>$495.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brent Bracelin</td>
<td>Piper Sandler</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Overweight</td>
<td>$470.00</td>
<td>$470.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Keith Weiss</td>
<td>Morgan Stanley</td>
<td>Raises</td>
<td>Overweight</td>
<td>$548.00</td>
<td>$506.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Joel Fishbein</td>
<td>Truist Securities</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$600.00</td>
<td>$600.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mark Moerdler</td>
<td>Bernstein</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Outperform</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
<td>$501.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tyler Radke</td>
<td>Citigroup</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$497.00</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jackson Ader</td>
<td>Keybanc</td>
<td>Raises</td>
<td>Overweight</td>
<td>$505.00</td>
<td>$490.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Brent Bracelin</td>
<td>Piper Sandler</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Overweight</td>
<td>$470.00</td>
<td>$485.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Kash Rangan</td>
<td>Goldman Sachs</td>
<td>Lowers</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$500.00</td>
<td>$515.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Joel Fishbein</td>
<td>Truist Securities</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Buy</td>
<td>$600.00</td>
<td>$600.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gil Luria</td>
<td>DA Davidson</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Neutral</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Gil Luria</td>
<td>DA Davidson</td>
<td>Maintains</td>
<td>Neutral</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
<td>$475.00</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Key Insights:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Action Taken: Analysts adapt their recommendations to changing market conditions and company performance. Whether they 'Maintain', 'Raise' or 'Lower' their stance, it reflects their response to recent developments related to Microsoft. This information provides a snapshot of how analysts perceive the current state of the company.</li>
<li>Rating: Analysts unravel qualitative evaluations for stocks, ranging from 'Outperform' to 'Underperform'. These ratings offer insights into expectations for the relative performance of Microsoft compared to the broader market.</li>
<li>Price Targets: Gaining insights, analysts provide estimates for the future value of Microsoft's stock. This comparison reveals trends in analysts' expectations over time.</li>
</ul>
Understanding these analyst evaluations alongside key financial indicators can offer valuable insights into Microsoft's market standing. Stay informed and make well-considered decisions with our Ratings Table.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/MSFT/analyst-ratings?utm_source=Benzinga Insights">Stay up to date on Microsoft analyst ratings.</a>
<h2>Delving into Microsoft's Background</h2>
Microsoft develops and licenses consumer and enterprise software. It is known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity suite. The company is organized into three equally sized broad segments: productivity and business processes (legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, Dynamics), intelligence cloud (infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings Azure, Windows Server OS, SQL Server), and more personal computing (Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktops).
<h3>Microsoft's Financial Performance</h3>
Market Capitalization Analysis: The company's market capitalization is above the industry average, indicating that it is relatively larger in size compared to peers. This may suggest a higher level of investor confidence and market recognition.
Revenue Growth: Over the 3 months period, Microsoft showcased positive performance, achieving a revenue growth rate of 16.04% as of 30 September, 2024. This reflects a substantial increase in the company's top-line earnings. As compared to competitors, the company surpassed expectations with a growth rate higher than the average among peers in the Information Technology sector.
Net Margin: Microsoft's financial strength is reflected in its exceptional net margin, which exceeds industry averages. With a remarkable net margin of 37.61%, the company showcases strong profitability and effective cost management.
Return on Equity (ROE): Microsoft's ROE excels beyond industry benchmarks, reaching 8.87%. This signifies robust financial management and efficient use of shareholder equity capital.
Return on Assets (ROA): The company's ROA is a standout performer, exceeding industry averages. With an impressive ROA of 4.77%, the company showcases effective utilization of assets.
Debt Management: Microsoft's debt-to-equity ratio is below the industry average at 0.21, reflecting a lower dependency on debt financing and a more conservative financial approach.
<h2>The Core of Analyst Ratings: What Every Investor Should Know</h2>
Analysts are specialists within banking and financial systems that typically report for specific stocks or within defined sectors. These people research company financial statements, sit in conference calls and meetings, and speak with relevant insiders to determine what are known as analyst ratings for stocks. Typically, analysts will rate each stock once a quarter. 
Some analysts will also offer forecasts for metrics like growth estimates, earnings, and revenue to provide further guidance on stocks. Investors who use analyst ratings should note that this specialized advice comes from humans and may be subject to error.
Which Stocks Are Analysts Recommending Now?
Benzinga Edge gives you instant access to all major analyst upgrades, downgrades, and price targets. Sort by accuracy, upside potential, and more. <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-checkout/?t=be8be9arja3be22bz21&amp;utm_source=benzinga-insights">Click here to stay ahead of the market</a>.
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Analyst Ratings

Microsoft Stock: A Deep Dive Into Analyst Perspectives (18 Ratings)

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MAWSON INFRSTRUCTURE GRP by Mawson Infrastructure Group Inc.

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Shares of stocks in the broader software sector are trading lower amid overall market weakness following the Fed's rate decision to cut rates by 25 basis points.

YouTube sensation Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his creator name &#8220;MrBeast,&#8221; is taking his talents to Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) to launch a new game show this week. 
The show is likely to garner a lot of attention and could benefit Amazon shares, as well as billionaire David Tepper who counts Amazon as his <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/24/11/42000692/david-teppers-appaloosa-trims-alibaba-stake-by-476-in-q3-2024-doubles-down-on-pdd-holdings-and-jd.com">largest U.S. holding</a>.
What To Know: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/entertainment/24/11/42199235/amazon-prime-vs-netflix-mrbeast-game-show-arrives-dec-19-squid-game-season-2-drops-1-week-later">MrBeast&#8217;s &#8220;Beast Games&#8221;</a> is set to premiere exclusively on Amazon&#8217;s Prime Video platform on Thursday.
The show is based on Donaldson&#8217;s popular YouTube channel, which has 337 million subscribers at the time of writing. According to Amazon, the show will be a reality competition series with 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash prize over 10 episodes.
The show will launch its first two episodes a week before the highly-anticipated release of &#8220;Squid Games 2&#8221; on Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>), underscoring the competitive pressure of the streaming space. The remaining episodes will be added in weekly installments.
Donaldson, who will serve as host and executive producer, previously said he chose Amazon over other streaming platforms because the company gave the streamer &#8220;the most creative control.&#8221;
&#8220;If you're a streamer/youtuber I want to see your reaction to my new show tomorrow!! I convinced Prime Video to let you guys react to episode 1 on stream and make reaction videos on it,&#8221; Donaldson said in a <a href="https://x.com/MrBeast/status/1869443030039814198">post</a> on X on Wednesday.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">If you're a streamer/youtuber I want to see your reaction to my new show tomorrow!! I convinced Prime Video to let you guys react to episode 1 on stream and make reaction videos on it &#x1f600;
&mdash; MrBeast (@MrBeast) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBeast/status/1869443030039814198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/entertainment/24/11/42199235/amazon-prime-vs-netflix-mrbeast-game-show-arrives-dec-19-squid-game-season-2-drops-1-week-later">Amazon Prime Vs. Netflix: MrBeast Game Show Arrives Dec. 19, &#8216;Squid Game&#8217; Season 2 Drops 1 Week Later</a>
Why It Matters: Amazon shares are up more than 50% year-to-date and have climbed nearly 15% over just the past month as the stock rallied to new highs. Given the popularity of MrBeast, &#8220;Beast Games&#8221; has the potential to make waves in the streaming world, which could further benefit Amazon shares.
Amazon is Tepper&#8217;s largest U.S. holding and represents the third largest position in Appaloosa&#8217;s portfolio behind Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) and PDD Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PDD#NASDAQ">PDD</a>).
In the third quarter, Tepper trimmed his Amazon position by 8%, but it still remains his largest U.S.-based holding by a wide margin, representing 8.86% of the firm&#8217;s portfolio, versus a 6.2% weighting in his next-largest holding Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) and a 5.31% weighting in his third-largest U.S. position Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>). It&#8217;s worth noting that Tepper trimmed Microsoft by about 18% and Meta by about 33% in the third quarter.
Appaloosa is already outpacing gains in the S&amp;P 500 this year with the firm up approximately 30% versus roughly a 27% gain in the S&amp;P 500. Appaloosa appears to be anticipating further price appreciation in Amazon shares. 
Price Action: <a href="http://benzinga.com/quote/amzn">Amazon shares</a> were down 1.17% at $228.41 at the time of publication, according to <a href="http://pro.benzinga.com">Benzinga Pro</a>.
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MrBeast's New Game Show To Premiere On Amazon Prime Video Thursday: Why Billionaire David Tepper May Be Watching

Cloud-based private company Databricks isn't in a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/politics/24/03/37896102/nancy-pelosi-cathie-wood-nvidia-now-share-investments-in-this-pre-ipo-high-growth-artificial-int">rush to go public</a>.
What Happened: While the San Francisco-based company is experiencing growth and was recently valued at $62 billion, 2024 wasn&#8217;t the year to file an initial public offering, Databricks CEO and co-founder Ali Ghodsi said at the recent <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/10/watch-axios-event-ai-sf-summit-2024">Axios </a>AI Summit.
"This year was an election year. We wanted to get some stability — people are worried about interest rates, inflation,&#8221; he said, as reported by <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/17/its-dumb-to-ipo-this-year-databricks-ceo-explains-why-hes-waiting-to-go-public/">TechCrunch</a>. &#8220;So we said &#8216;Look, it's dumb to IPO this year,&#8217; so we're definitely going to wait.&#8221;
Ghodsi said the recent Series J round allowed some early employees the ability to cash out. The funding round, which was large at $10 billion, could have been larger based on demand, according to Ghodsi.
"I saw this Excel sheet where they kept a tally of all the people that want to invest. It was $19 billion of interest, and I almost fell off the chair,&#8221; he said. 
The original goal was to raise $3 billion to $4 billion, before the company pushed the funding amount higher.
While Databricks didn't choose the IPO route in 2024, the company could be one of many to go public next year.
"The earliest theoretical possibility of an IPO would be next year,&#8221; Ghodsi said, noting that the IPO could also push out to 2026 instead. It's less important to go public now than in past years, he explained.
Ghodsi also recognizes that high interest in artificial intelligence companies and ballooning valuations could signal a potential bubble for the sector.
"I mean, it's peak AI bubble. It doesn't take a genius to know that a company with five people which has no product, no innovation, no IP — just recent grads — (is not) worth hundreds of millions, sometimes billions."
Billion-dollar valuations on AI startups that have no product signal a bubble, Ghodsi added.
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Why It's Important: A potential IPO of Databricks could come with high investor interest thanks to its high growth and <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/06/39305440/ai-startup-which-counts-nancy-pelosi-cathie-wood-and-nvidia-among-its-investors-forecasts-2-4b-annua">popular backers</a>, including Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Cathie Wood.
Pelosi and her venture capitalist husband Paul Pelosi took a $1 million to $5 million stake in the company according to a filing from the former Speaker earlier this year.
Pelosi represents District 11 of California in the U.S. House of Representatives. The region includes San Francisco, where Databricks is based.
Wood and Ark Invest own a stake in the company through the Ark Venture Fund (ARKVX), which <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/22/02/25420755/ark-funds-launching-new-fund-that-could-invest-in-private-companies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched in 2022</a>&nbsp;and gives investors access to private companies. Databricks is the tenth largest <a href="https://www.ark-funds.com/funds/arkvx#hold">holding </a>in the fund as of Nov. 30, representing 3.6% of assets.
Nvidia has been an investor and partner in the company for several years. Companies that have gone public via SPAC merger or IPO, and later disclose Nvidia as an investor, have <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/07/39860370/serve-robotics-stock-rises-after-nvidia-discloses-10-stake">seen shares rise</a> with increased investor interest.
Databricks&nbsp;<a href="https://www.databricks.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/databricks-raises-series-i-investment-43b-valuation#:~:text=San%20Francisco%2C%20CA%20%E2%80%94%20September%2014,price%20per%20share%20at%20%2473.50." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raised&nbsp;</a>$500 million in funding in September 2023 with the company valued at $43 billion.&nbsp;T. Rowe Price Group Inc&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TROW#NASDAQ">TROW</a>) led the investment round.
Other investors in the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/startups/23/10/35065151/databricks-valuation-skyrockets-to-43-billion-techs-new-powerhouse-backed-by-nvidia-and-capital-one">September funding round</a> included&nbsp;Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, ClearBridge Investments, Fidelity Management, Franklin Templeton, Counterpoint Global, Ontario Teachers&#8217; Pension Plan&nbsp;and&nbsp;Capital One Financial Corp&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/COF#NYSE">COF</a>).
Databricks competes with Snowflake Inc (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SNOW#NYSE">SNOW</a>), which went public at $120 per share in 2020. The company saw shares open at $245 due to huge demand. Snowflake stock is down 11% year-to-date.
Ghodsi hinted that Databricks is focusing on its rivalry with Snowflake to gain new business.
"We had a program called ‘SnowMelt.' We were going after Snowflake and we demonized them, but that's behind us," Ghodsi said at the Axios event. Databricks is also working on competing with larger companies like Salesforce (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CRM#NYSE">CRM</a>) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) according to the report.
Data and AI will be more important in people's lives going forward and Databricks is well-positioned to take advantage of this trend, Ghodsi predicts.
The company expects to hit positive free cash flow for the first time and have a $3 billion revenue run rate for the fiscal year ending Jan. 31.
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Shares of Rezolve AI Ltd (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RZLV#NASDAQ">RZLV</a>) skyrocketed more than 50% over the past five trading days, after the company announced plans to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/12/42462467/whats-going-on-with-rezolve-ai-stock-thursday">align with the Department of Government Efficiency's initiatives</a>.
The company's AI solution uses a commerce-focused language model that enables "natural language interactions with online shoppers, replacing legacy enterprise search processes," according to Northland Capital Partners.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-stock-ratings/analyst/58bd551ab85e930001592af5/michael-latimore">Analyst Michael Latimore</a> initiated coverage of Rezolve AI with an Outperform rating and a price target of $5.
The Rezolve AI Thesis: The company's proprietary technology fosters digital retail engagement "by providing customers with their own genAI-powered sales engine that improves search, advice and revenue generation," Latimore said in the initiation note.
Check out <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-stock-ratings">other analyst stock ratings</a>.
Rezolve&#8217;s software is like "having the best salesperson interact with every online shopper" and it can even replace legacy filtered search, he added.
The company&#8217;s management is "highly experienced&#8221; in e-commerce and software, the analyst wrote. Also, is initial distribution partners include Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) and Google-parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>).
Rezolve is among the few "pure play, public genAI companies" and several market forecasters project the genAI software market to expand at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 50%, he further stated.
Price Action: Shares of Rezolve AIhad risen by 8.81% to $3.58 at the time of publication on Wednesday.
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