Microsoft is represented by the ticker symbol MSFT among the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
MSFT is Microsoft’s stock-market ticker on the Nasdaq exchange. Investors use ticker symbols as short identifiers when trading shares, checking prices, and comparing market capitalizations among large public companies.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 and became famous for software such as MS-DOS and Windows. It later expanded into enterprise software, cloud computing through Azure, gaming, search, and productivity subscriptions.
Ticker symbols can be confused with company names that use similar initials. MSFT identifies Microsoft specifically; it does not refer to Meta Platforms, Mastercard, or Micron Technology. A ticker also identifies a security, while market capitalization describes the total value of the company’s outstanding shares.