Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Just Sold 20 Million Xbox One Units

The video game market continues to grow, as recent reports have indicated that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has sold an estimated 20 million Xbox One units to consumers to date. While Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) did not release or confirm these sales numbers, the combination of a recent reported from Sony, that they sold over 35 million Playstation 4 units, along with a statement from EA that the two consoles combined to sell approximately 55 million units, has led to this figure.

“Our estimate is 55 million units out there which has exceeded virtually everyone’s forecast for the year and now almost 50 percent higher than previous console cycle so, all of that is very-very positive, all the gameplay we’re seeing and the engagement and things like Ultimate Team we’re seeing is positive,” according to Blake Jorgensen from EA.
This makes it rather obvious that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has sold between 19 and 20 miillion Xbox One units. While Sony certainly sold more units, it appears as if Microsoft is concentrating more on keeping their fanbase intact. The stock increased 5.83% or $3.03 during the last trading session, hitting $55.09. About 5,157 shares traded hands. MSFT has risen 20.68% since June 25, 2015 and is uptrending. It has outperformed the S&P500 by 29.55%.

From a total of 18 analysts covering Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stock, 14 rate it a “Buy”, 1 a “Sell”, and 3 a “Hold”. This means that 78% of the ratings are positive. The highest target price is $66 while the lowest target price is $20. The mean of all analyst targets is $54.87 which is -0.40% below today’s ($55.09) stock price. Microsoft Corporation was the topic of 36 analyst reports since July 22, 2015 according to the firm StockzIntelligence Inc. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares on January 13 to a “Overweight” rating. Vetr upgraded shares to a”Strong-Buy” rating and a $47.60 target share price in their report from a September 2. Barclays Capital maintained MSFT stock in a recent report from January 6 with a “Overweight” rating. Global Equities Research maintained the rating on August 28. Global Equities Research has a “Overweight” rating and a $50 price target on shares. Finally, Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to a “Neutral” rating in a report they issued on a December 18.
The institutional sentiment increased to 1.08 in Q2 2015. It’s up 0.32, from 0.76 in 2015Q2. The ratio is positive, as 69 funds sold all their Microsoft Corporation shares they owned while 801 reduced their positions. 93 funds bought stakes while 843 increased their total positions. Institutions now own 5.20 billion shares which is 8.27% less than the previous share count of 5.67 billion in 2015Q2.
Cook & Bynum Capital Management Llc holds 25.5% of its total portfolio in Microsoft Corporation, equating to 717,081 shares. Rwwm Inc. owns 895,414 shares representing 19.69% of their total US portfolio. Moreover, Valueact Holdings L.P. has 19.37% of their total portfolio invested in the company, equating to 75.27 million shares. The California-based Smithwood Advisers L.P. has a total of 17.28% of their portfolio invested in the stock. Deccan Value Investors L.P., a Connecticut-based fund reported 2.26 million shares owned.
Microsoft Corporation is engaged in developing, licensing and supporting a range of software services and products. The company has a market cap of $435.72 billion. The Firm also creates and sells hardware, and delivers online advertising to the customers. It has 39.23 P/E ratio. The Firm operates in five divisions: Devices and Consumer Licensing, D&C Hardware, D&C Other, Commercial Licensing, and Commercial Other.