Why Microsoft Stock Popped Today

By Joe Tenebruso – Apr 15, 2026 at 9:25PM ESTKey PointsValue investors are buying the dip in Microsoft's share price.Multiple signs suggest the cloud leader's growth is set to accelerate.Shares of Microsoft (MSFT +4.64%) climbed on Wednesday, furthering the tech titan's recent rally. By the close of trading, Microsoft's stock price was up more than 4%. Image source: Getty Images. Still trading at a discount to its recent highs Microsoft, along with many other software stocks, was down sharply from its 52-week high prior to its recent gains. Fears that artificial intelligence (AI) would displace traditional software, along with concerns regarding the cloud computing provider's rapidly growing capital expenditures and reliance on the unprofitable OpenAI for an uncomfortably large portion of its backlog, combined to drive Microsoft's shares more than 30% lower. ExpandNASDAQ: MSFTMicrosoftToday's Change(4.64%) $18.26Current Price$411.37Key Data PointsMarket Cap$2.9TDay's Range$396.73 - $414.3652wk Range$355.67 - $555.45Volume2.1MAvg Vol37MGross Margin68.59%Dividend Yield0.89% Yet Microsoft's share price may have already bottomed. The popular tech stock is up about 15% since its lows in late March, as many discount-focused investors bought the dip. More gains might lie ahead Microsoft's rally may have more room to run. A survey of information technology executives conducted by analysts at KeyBanc showed that 85% of respondents planned to spend more on Microsoft's lucrative Azure cloud platform. The poll also indicated that customers were increasing their usage of the tech giant's Copilot AI assistant. Additionally, reports surfaced on Wednesday that Microsoft took on a sizable amount of compute capacity in a Norwegian data center that was originally earmarked for OpenAI. These computing resources could help to support Azure's growth, as the cloud platform has been capacity-constrained in recent quarters. Read NextApr 15, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPABargain-Hunting Alert: These 3 Blue Chip Stocks Are Trading Near Their 52-Week LowsApr 15, 2026 •By Scott LevineBest Edge Computing Stocks for 2026 and How to InvestApr 15, 2026 •By Adria CiminoThis Stock Was the Worst Performer of the Magnificent Seven in the First Quarter. Is it a Buy Today?Apr 15, 2026 •By Matt DiLallo5 Best High Dividend Mutual Funds to Buy in 2026Apr 15, 2026 •By Keithen DruryPrediction: Microsoft Stock Will Soar After April 29Apr 15, 2026 •By Geoffrey SeilerShould You Buy Microsoft Stock After Its Correction, or Run for the Hills?About the AuthorJoe Tenebruso is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst with more than 3,000 financial bylines to his name. Joe was an investment analyst for Stock Advisor, Income Investor, Crypto Society, and other top-rated investing services. He also managed Tier 1 Investments, a market-crushing real-money portfolio with 24.58% annualized returns. Joe graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.tmfguardianX@Tier1InvestorStocks MentionedMicrosoftNASDAQ: MSFT$411.37(+4.64%)+$18.26KeyCorpNYSE: KEY$21.57(-0.28%)-$0.06*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.