'Browse Securely Now': Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains as it Calls Users to Pass Up Chrome
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Windows users who install Chrome are being met with some unexpected messaging from Microsoft: 'Browse securely now. Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.' Given that Chrome users outnumber Edge users by somewhere in the neighborhood of six to one, reports note, this reads less like an actual security issue and more like a marketing ploy.
Taskbar flags in the pre-release version of Canary, reports note, will '…pin Edge when you close the browser.' Moreover, the flags specifically mention Chrome by name, and include a flag that triggers when exiting the browser. A second flag is perhaps more disturbing still, calling on users to pin Edge to the taskbar '…when Chrome's usage is greater than 90%.' With a class action lawsuit already firing up to take Windows to task over removing security support for Windows 10, this is not what anyone would call 'good optics' for Microsoft right now.
At Least the Game Gets Support
While Windows support for laptops and desktops may be failing, a new report notes that Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5 will not go wanting for support. In fact, Microsoft recently announced that Turn 10 and Playground Games will continue supporting both Forza titles.
The issue was somewhat shrouded in mystery, with some wondering how support could possibly continue as around half of Turn 10 had been laid off last month. But with these remarks, Microsoft seems ready to carry on that support, somehow. And with a range of new games coming out in short order for the 25 th anniversary of Xbox, this should be welcome news for gamers.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 34 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 26.03% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $623.34 per share implies 18% upside potential.
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