Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Davidson Investment Advisors

Davidson Investment Advisors cut its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,609 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,623 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 4.7% of Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings in Microsoft were worth $111,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.7%

MSFT stock opened at $459.86 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.42 trillion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $483.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $502.46.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced 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. 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 analyst estimates of $75.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued 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 payout ratio is currently 25.89%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSFT. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, January 5th. DZ Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Rothschild Redb cut shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $630.37.

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).