Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. Acquires 3,549 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,813 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,549 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 2.0% of Coronation Fund Managers Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $44,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and EY announced a $1 billion partnership to help enterprises launch and scale AI projects, which could support future Azure usage and Copilot adoption. Microsoft and EY Team to Promote Corporate AI Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Reports said Anthropic is in talks to rent servers powered by Microsoft’s Maia AI chips, a sign Microsoft’s in-house silicon strategy may be gaining traction with major AI customers. Anthropic in talks to use Microsoft’s AI chips, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Microsoft’s AI opportunity, with commentary that AI compute demand is becoming a major growth engine for the company. Microsoft, Oracle Stand To Benefit As AI Compute Becomes The New Oil
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s largest data center in India is still on track to open by mid-2026, reinforcing the company’s ongoing global cloud expansion. Microsoft (MSFT)’s Largest Data Center In India Is On Track To Open By Mid-2026
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage focused on concerns that Microsoft’s aggressive AI capex could be weighing on sentiment, with investors questioning whether spending is outrunning near-term returns. Microsoft Falls 12% As AI Spending Concerns Pressure S&P 500
• Negative Sentiment: The UK CMA also opened a probe into Microsoft’s software practices, adding a regulatory overhang to the stock. UK CMA Opens Probe Into Microsoft (MSFT) Software Practices

Microsoft Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $419.09 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $356.28 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $399.10 and a 200 day moving average of $437.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.28.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 21.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. The trade was a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $550.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $515.00 price target (down from $630.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Microsoft from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, New Street Research decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Thirty-nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $560.88.

Microsoft 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).