Microsoft turned 50 years old earlier this month as the world’s second-largest company by market cap, with a valuation north of $2 trillion.
That position might not have seemed possible back in 1975, when Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen launched the little software startup. But the company experienced meteoric growth over the next few decades, along with the technology sector in general, especially on the stock market.
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GOBankingRates explores how much money you would’ve made if you invested in Microsoft in 2014.
By 2014, when current CEO Satya Nadella took over, Microsoft had become a global tech icon. Even so, the company’s stock was still affordable for most investors. Its price in April 2014 was $40.40 a share, according to Yahoo Finance.
If you invested $1,000 in Microsoft back then, you would have received about 25 shares.
Those 25 shares still apply today because Microsoft has not had a stock split since 2003, per the company’s website. Its stock currently trades at about $388 a share — a gain of nearly 861% from the price 11 years ago. This means your 25 shares are now worth $9,250. That’s an excellent return that far outpaces the stock markets in general.
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For example, the S&P 500 has risen by about 178% since April 2014, even after this month’s sell-off following the announcement of President Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Microsoft itself has seen its stock price fall by more than 20% from its all-time high of $468.35, which it reached in July 2024.
While the stock markets face extreme volatility in the face of global trade wars and recessionary fears, Microsoft remains a solid bet in the eyes of most analysts.
According to 31 analysts cited by the Stock Analysis website, the average rating for Microsoft is “Strong Buy.” As of Apr. 8, the average 12-month stock price forecast was $508.17, which represented a 37% premium from its price at the time.
So far, Microsoft has managed to limit the damage caused by the Trump tariffs and has weathered the storm better than the other “Magnificent 7” tech stocks, Fortune reported.
Microsoft has an edge because it “doesn’t deal much in physical or consumer products” and therefore has less “direct exposure” to tariffs, analysts told Fortune. The company’s focus on enterprise customers means that a “big portion of its revenue streams” are tied to long-term contracts.
