Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Holdings Lessened by Hartline Investment Corp

Hartline Investment Corp reduced its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 65,819 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,339 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 3.5% of Hartline Investment Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Hartline Investment Corp’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $34,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth $38,000. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC raised its position in Microsoft by 71.2% during the 3rd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $620.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst commentary and broader tech-led market lift helped push MSFT higher after last week’s sell-off; the coverage framed the pullback as a buying opportunity. Why Microsoft Stock Topped the Market Today
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed how many paying Copilot customers it has — a concrete monetization datapoint that reassures investors about AI product revenue traction. Microsoft Finally Revealed How Many Paying Copilot Customers It Has. The Answer Was Shocking for More Reasons Than One.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports attribute part of MSFT’s gains to a key new hire meant to shore up AI efforts and execution — a governance/operational positive that calms investor nerves about execution risk. Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains Thanks in Part to New Hire
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum at OpenAI (where Microsoft is a major backer) shows ChatGPT growth accelerating vs. Google — supportive for Microsoft’s AI strategy and Azure demand. OpenAI Intensifies Race with Google as ChatGPT Returns to Higher Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox-related reports (next Xbox reportedly a gaming PC) provided a modest product narrative boost but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Rises Alongside Reports the Next Xbox Will Be a Gaming PC
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis arguing AI spending looks large on paper but is manageable helped calm some fears — frames capex as an investment with long-term payback rather than an immediate cash drain. Microsoft’s AI Spend Looks Scary, Until You Run The Numbers
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT from Buy to Hold and cut its price target, citing concerns about AI capex and growth—this is a direct bearish analyst action pressuring sentiment. Here’s Why Melius Moved to the Sidelines on Microsoft Stock (MSFT)
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier downgrades (e.g., Stifel) and commentary that MSFT’s valuation now trades below legacy peers like IBM highlight investor worries about heavy AI CapEx and near-term margin pressure. Microsoft’s stock is now cheaper than IBM’s. What that says about the AI trade.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the company’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 transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $414.12 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $466.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $495.42. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.Microsoft’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.76%.

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).