Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Increased by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,071,003 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 220,237 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 7.4% of Swedbank AB’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,288,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $472.94 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $493.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $503.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.40.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MSFT. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $630.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Evercore ISI set a $640.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Rothschild Redb downgraded Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Mizuho lowered Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $631.03.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 461,597 shares in the company, valued at $239,402,668.08. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, 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 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).