Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s 2nd Largest Position

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 222,393 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,179 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 6.6% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $115,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 342 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Microsoft by 5.9% during the second quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 359 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Seek First Inc. grew its position in Microsoft by 1.5% during the second quarter. Seek First Inc. now owns 1,358 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Level Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.8% during the second quarter. Level Financial Advisors now owns 2,680 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,333,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 0.7% in the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,761 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Melius Research raised their target price on Microsoft from $595.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $500.00 price target (down previously from $560.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Baird R W raised Microsoft to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $637.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $631.03.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $487.61 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $498.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $503.42. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 35.71%.Microsoft’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total transaction of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush’s Dan Ives labels Microsoft a “compelling” buy for 2026 and sets a $625 target, arguing MSFT is an overlooked AI winner with ~30% upside — a catalyst for buyer interest. This Dividend-Yielding Tech Stock Looks a ‘Compelling Buy’ for 2026 After 2 Years of Underperformance
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms (Evercore, Wedbush, others) reiterated Outperform/Overweight ratings and high price targets (median ~$639), supporting upside expectations and fresh buying by institutions. Microsoft, Salesforce Lead Evercore’s 2026 Picks
• Positive Sentiment: Social and data-driven commentary highlights continued AI and Azure strength (Azure growth cited >30% YoY) and investor excitement around Copilot/AI infrastructure demand — a core growth narrative. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI appears closer to showing ads on ChatGPT — could create a new monetization stream that indirectly benefits Microsoft, but timing/terms and competitive/regulatory implications remain uncertain. OpenAI Is Getting Closer to Showing Ads on ChatGPT
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro view: strategists expect a solid 2026 for stocks but warn of rising volatility — a backdrop that can amplify MSFT moves in either direction. Wall Street Expects a Solid 2026 for Stocks. But the ‘Risks Are Growing’
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling (including several executive sales) and reports of heavy insider dispositions can dent investor confidence about timing/valuation. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and “overbuilding” risk: coverage highlights very large AI/data-center investments (reported multibillion-dollar capex) which could pressure margins if AI monetization lags. Microsoft: Not Immune To The Risk Of Overbuilding
• Negative Sentiment: Product/adoption concerns: reports say Copilot adoption has been slower than hoped, prompting CEO Satya Nadella to take a more hands‑on product role — a short‑term execution risk. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella steps up as AI product overseer amid Copilot adoption challenges: report
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/talent risk: the administration’s H‑1B overhaul (ending the pure lottery) could change talent sourcing/costs for big tech, a medium‑term headwind for staffing/AI hiring. Trump administration moves to overhaul how H-1B visas are granted, ending lottery system

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).