Confluence Investment Management LLC Has $83.80 Million Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Confluence Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 161,782 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 3,405 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $83,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Norges Bank bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $50,493,678,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 564,387.1% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 90,549,369 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $45,040,162,000 after purchasing an additional 90,533,328 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth about $18,733,827,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 49,640.3% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,905,904,000 after purchasing an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $350,712,742,000 after purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO-led shakeup to accelerate AI execution — reports say Satya Nadella reorganized senior leadership to inject urgency into Microsoft’s AI push, a move investors view as supportive for faster Copilot/Azure monetization. Microsoft CEO Injects ‘Sense of Urgency’ Into AI Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullish on 2026 AI upside — several analyst notes and forecasts point to a large AI-driven revenue lift (one headline cites a ~30% upside scenario), supporting investor optimism about multiple expansion if AI monetization becomes visible. Microsoft Stock Forecast: Why Wall Street Sees a 30% AI-Fueled Jump for MSFT in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Copilot / Dynamics 365 & Azure adoption remain tangible growth levers — Dynamics 365 and Copilot adoption are cited as drivers of enterprise seat upgrades and cloud consumption, underpinning recurring revenue and higher ARPU potential. Can Microsoft Stock Rally on Dynamics 365 Business Applications?
• Positive Sentiment: Xbox Cloud Gaming exits beta — cloud gaming availability for Game Pass subscribers can broaden engagement and recurring revenue in Microsoft’s gaming segment (service-led monetization vs. one-time hardware cycles). Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Announces Availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy and hiring tailwinds — new federal bill (AI Talent Act) aims to streamline AI hiring across agencies; long term this could ease talent constraints for cloud/AI vendors but has limited near-term revenue impact. New Bill: Representative Sara Jacobs introduces H.R. 6573: AI Talent Act
• Neutral Sentiment: ESG recognition may broaden buyer base — Microsoft shows up on 2026 ESG stock lists, which can attract allocation from sustainability-focused funds but is not a primary earnings driver. 3 ESG Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio for Sustainable Returns in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: High AI capex and spending scrutiny — analysts are questioning whether massive AI investments across the Magnificent Seven will pressure free cash flow and near-term margins; this keeps upside tied to visible monetization of AI features. Buy Stock in the Mag 7 Hyperscalers or Are They Spending Too Much?
• Negative Sentiment: Hardware supply issues risk gaming timing — “RAMpocalypse” reports indicate potential delays for next-gen consoles, which could push Xbox hardware revenue further out (though Microsoft’s services exposure cushions the impact). What the RAMpocalypse Means for Sony’s PlayStation 6 & Microsoft’s (MSFT) Next Xbox

Microsoft Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MSFT opened at $487.54 on Wednesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $495.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $504.01. The stock has a market cap of $3.62 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 35.71%.Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.30 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 25.89%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Mizuho lowered shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $632.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $630.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $631.03.

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).