Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Sells 1,804 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 46,845 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,804 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 3.1% of Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $24,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Microsoft to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Microsoft from $682.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Melius Research increased their target price on Microsoft from $595.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $631.03.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related 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 sale, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,402,668.08. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $472.94 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $493.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $503.68.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The business 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.89%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly bullish on MSFT — analysts and outlets label Microsoft a top pick for 2026 and a “strong buy,” citing AI monetization and cloud durability as drivers of upside. Wall Street Says Microsoft Is a ‘Strong Buy.’ Let’s Look at Who Owns MSFT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts publicly prefer Microsoft over Google in the AI race, arguing MSFT’s Azure and partnerships reduce downside risk versus peers — a positive signal for longer‑term market share and revenue capture. Why This Analyst Prefers Microsoft Over Google In The AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Debt and cash flow profile supports sustained AI investment — several writeups (including MarketBeat roundups) say MSFT’s balance sheet makes elevated CapEx manageable and that recent pullbacks are “buyable dips.” Beyond the Santa Claus Rally—5 Quality Stocks to Buy in 2026 (MSFT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue raised CapEx for AI isn’t a major concern versus future ROI, positioning MSFT as still relatively cheap on an AI-adjusted basis — a mixed read that keeps volatility likely while fundamentals mature. Microsoft: AI Superpower Still Cheap – Raised Capex Not A Big Concern
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure is coming from investors reassessing Microsoft’s AI edge versus Alphabet/Google — uncertainty over who will monetize AI faster is prompting profit‑taking and weighing on the stock. Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Moves Lower As Investors Assess Its AI Edge Against Google
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market action is mixed — the Nasdaq was roughly flat while indexes rotated — and Microsoft’s size makes it a significant weight on the tech‑heavy index, magnifying any MSFT weakness for the session. How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 1/2/2026

About Microsoft

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).