Microsoft's stock has roared back to life, closing at its highest level of the year

By Hannah Pedone

Microsoft shares got off to a rough start this year, but investors have warmed to the company's AI narrative over the past few months

Shares of Microsoft just closed at their highest level of 2026.

Microsoft has positioned itself as a software company that isn't exclusively tied to any of the big artificial-intelligence model makers, and that's shaping up to be a key advantage, according to an analyst.

Shares of Microsoft (MSFT) have climbed well off their 2026 lows and closed up 3.66% on Friday, at $516.17 - clinching their highest close since November.

On Friday, the stock was also the best performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, the index that tracks 30 major stocks meant to represent the U.S. economy.

Microsoft's stock has been gaining since the company posted earnings for its latest quarter, up 32% from the time of that report in late July.

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D.A. Davidson's Gil Luria told MarketWatch that Microsoft is "finally getting credit again for how well it is positioned to benefit from the growth of AI."

Microsoft's stock was punished earlier this year, as AI fears loomed large over the software sector. Through July 28, the stock was down about 17% since the start of the year.

The company is "helping their customers manage the frontier models in a more efficient and effective way" than other companies, Luria said. He referred to how Microsoft's software can be a base from which to use different AI models and agents for different workflows - a software concept known as an "orchestration layer," which Microsoft has "wisely moved into," Luria explained. Frontier models are those deemed to be on the cutting edge of what AI has to offer.

Microsoft's approach allows companies to switch frontier models based on which one is best suited for different types of tasks.

Luria also expects growth of the company's core Azure cloud-computing platform to accelerate further. There's also room for the company to capitalize on the rise of AI assistants.

On Friday, Microsoft released a new version of Copilot, its AI-powered assistant that aims to help customers get more out of the company's software offerings. Luria said that the latest Microsoft introduction aims to "replicate Meta Muse's success for businesses," referring to Meta's new personal AI agent that's gotten off to a hot start.

"Microsoft is in a position to provide assistant services to its users as the main provider of software into millions of businesses," he said.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Rishi Jaluria added that Microsoft's latest move "is notable for what it signals about the evolving AI interface layer." He noted that the company is offering more coding and financial-operations tools.

-Hannah Pedone

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09-25-26 1704ET