What Year Did Microsoft Go Public

What Year Did Microsoft Go Public

Microsoft went public in 1986. The company filed its IPO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and began trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker MSFT on March 13, 1986. The initial offering price was set at 21 USD per share, and the IPO raised approximately 61 million USD for the company, according to the official SEC filing and historical records on the Microsoft investor relations page SEC EDGAR filing for Microsoft.

The IPO was managed by a syndicate of investment banks led by Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, with the shares distributed primarily to institutional investors. On the first day of trading, Microsoft shares opened at 21 USD and closed at 27.75 USD, representing a strong first-day gain of roughly 32 percent. This early performance marked the beginning of one of the most successful public market listings in technology history.

Microsoft IPO Price and Early Stock Performance

The IPO price of 21 USD per share was set after a roadshow that highlighted Microsoft's software business, including MS-DOS and early Windows products. At the time, the company had annual revenue of about 140 million USD and a relatively small workforce compared with its current size. The IPO valued Microsoft at roughly 480 million USD, a figure that would soon look modest as the company scaled rapidly Forbes coverage of the Microsoft IPO.

In the months following the IPO, Microsoft's share price climbed steadily as demand for personal computer software grew. By the end of 1986, the stock had more than doubled from its offering price, driven by strong sales of Windows and enterprise software. This early appreciation set the stage for decades of shareholder returns and made Microsoft one of the most closely watched stocks in the technology sector.

Microsoft Market Capitalization and Current Standing

Today, Microsoft is one of the most valuable public companies in the world, with a market capitalization that has exceeded 3 trillion USD at various points in recent years. The company's market value has grown from the roughly 480 million USD at the time of its IPO to a position among the top three largest companies by market cap globally, alongside Apple and Nvidia Forbes on Microsoft market cap.

The journey from a 1986 IPO to a multi-trillion-dollar valuation reflects Microsoft's ability to evolve across software, cloud computing, and enterprise services. Microsoft's stock split history includes several splits since the IPO, most recently a 2-for-1 stock split in 2003, and the company continues to pay dividends, making it a core holding for many long-term investors Investopedia overview of Microsoft stock.