Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 191,730 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.7% of Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $99,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $350,712,742,000 after purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $148,823,341,000 after buying an additional 3,166,275 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $88,714,256,000 after buying an additional 3,532,054 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $50,493,678,000. Finally, Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 564,387.1% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 90,549,369 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $45,040,162,000 after purchasing an additional 90,533,328 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reported it hit a >$20B revenue target in 2025 — a direct positive for Microsoft because higher OpenAI sales boost demand for Azure compute, licensing and co‑commercial opportunities with MSFT. Microsoft-Backed OpenAI Hits $20B Revenue Target in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI says 2026 will be a turning point for practical AI adoption — signals accelerating enterprise uptake of AI tools that feed Azure consumption and Microsoft’s AI product stack. OpenAI Says 2026 Will Be a Turning Point for Practical AI Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman and other firms have been bullish on MSFT’s AI/cloud leadership (Goldman’s coverage implies material upside), reinforcing investor confidence in MSFT’s growth trajectory tied to enterprise AI. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Seen with 37% Upside as Goldman Highlights AI and Cloud Leadership
• Positive Sentiment: Overall analyst sentiment remains strongly bullish despite some price‑target trimming and heavy AI investment — many analysts still see sizable upside, which supports buying interest. Strong Analyst Sentiment on Microsoft (MSFT) Despite Price Target Cuts and Heavy AI Spend
• Neutral Sentiment: MSFT is highlighted on several AI/cloud “top picks” and ETFs — useful for flows into the stock but a slower, less direct catalyst than OpenAI revenue. Top AI Stocks to Boost Returns and Reignite Portfolio Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/ESG moves — large carbon removal purchases and initiatives to lower data‑center energy use support long‑term cost control and reputational upside but are not immediate revenue drivers. Microsoft Kicks Off 2026 With Flurry Of Large-Scale Carbon Removal Purchase Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Elon Musk filed claims seeking up to $134B from OpenAI and Microsoft — creates headline risk and uncertainty even if chances of material payout are unclear. Elon Musk Claims OpenAI and Microsoft Gained $134 Billion From His Early AI Work
• Negative Sentiment: Negative investor commentary and skeptics (e.g., Michael Burry, critical pieces) warn that AI spending and valuation could be overheated — increases volatility and could pressure multiples if led by macro or earnings disappointment. ‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry says the AI boom will end badly
• Negative Sentiment: Some critical analysis questions MSFT’s valuation and near‑term mix (see Seeking Alpha); combined with heavy AI spending, this fuels debate over margin/ROI timing. Microsoft: Something Doesn’t Add Up

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $459.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.71, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $483.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $502.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45.

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, topping 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 earnings per share. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $630.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value 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 $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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. Insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company 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).