Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Raised by Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 65.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,187 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,507 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 3.0% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $15,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Wellington Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $9,941,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $46,816,000 after buying an additional 2,373 shares during the last quarter. Real Talk Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Real Talk Capital LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $860,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 922,524 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $457,119,000 after acquiring an additional 33,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 285,163 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $147,700,000 after acquiring an additional 11,770 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Redburn Partners set a $560.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $682.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $631.03.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $472.94 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.39. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $493.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $504.03.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 25.89%.

Key Stores Impacting 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

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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).