Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Lifted by Greenwood Capital Associates LLC

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 64,480 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,407 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 3.4% of Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $31,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 83,744 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $40,500,000 after acquiring an additional 10,254 shares during the last quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Trinity Legacy Partners LLC now owns 18,742 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $9,064,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. United Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 32,669 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,266 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 98,751 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $47,758,000 after acquiring an additional 6,328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its holdings in Microsoft by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 3,279 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT opened at $420.93 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $396.79 and a 200 day moving average of $445.39. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $356.28 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $3.13 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The business had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday. Arete Research lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $730.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. President Capital lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $562.44.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Top analyst price‑target upgrades lift sentiment; one note cited ~60% upside to a new street‑high target, supporting buy interest. Microsoft Stock Lands a New Street‑High Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: An influential research shop lifted its price target materially (Arete to $870), signaling strong conviction that AI/cloud execution will drive long‑term upside. Arete Research Boosts Microsoft Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results continue to show robust AI/cloud revenue growth and EPS beats, underpinning the bull case for durable top‑line momentum. Microsoft Q3 Revenues Jump 18% on AI & Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Fisher Asset Management and other funds have increased stakes, which can provide support to the stock. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox product pruning (Copilot discontinuation) trimmed consumer AI spend and was interpreted positively by some investors as discipline on unprofitable initiatives. Xbox Discontinues Copilot
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reaction is mixed: some firms trimmed targets but kept Buy ratings, reflecting split views on near‑term capex vs. long‑term AI growth. Here’s What the Street Thinks About Microsoft Post‑Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Big AI data‑center buildout is driving a large ($190B) capex guide and discussions about shelving Microsoft’s 2030 hourly clean‑energy match target — a potential ESG/regulatory and reputational headwind. Microsoft May Shelve 2030 Clean Energy Target
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain uneasy about the size and timing of AI spending; some analysts warn margin pressure and elevated capex could weigh on near‑term returns. Is Microsoft Stock an Undervalued Stock to Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Security concern: reports of a new hacker group exploiting Microsoft Teams add short‑term risk around remediation costs and customer confidence in collaboration tools. New Hacker Group Exploits Teams

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft develops, licenses and supports a broad range of software products, services and devices for consumers, enterprises and governments worldwide. Its operations span personal computing, productivity software, cloud infrastructure, enterprise applications, developer tools and gaming.

Microsoft’s product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).