May 10th, 2010

NASDAQ:MSFT Microsoft and a Decline in Browser Market Share.  Microsoft isn’t at their height, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a great company.  Recently, it was released that Microsoft is losing market share to other browsers, particularly Google Chrome.  Of course, it makes sense that individuals would turn to Google Chrome as their browser of choice, especially if they use Google for their default search, email, and other applications.

Firefox is also a very popular browser, and some analysts think that IE browser market share will fall below FireFox sometime in 2012.

In addition, Microsoft’s rumored tablet – the Courier – was rumored as taken off the table – although Bill Gates has made indications that the rumor was premature. A new tablet that would compete with the iPad would definitely bring the stock back up and make investors happy. However, the Zune never took off against the iPod, and there are likely many who would proceed with caution about a hype surrounding the device.

Analysts rate MSFT as a “Moderate Buy” – Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is a company that will be around for a long time.

MSFT opened the week at $30.66 and closed the week at $28.21 a share.  Overall, the NASDAQ was down from 2,479.85 to 2,265.84 during the same period. Much of MSFT’s decline can be attributed to a general decline in the industry.

Source: MSN Finance