Florida Trust Wealth Management Co Cuts Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Florida Trust Wealth Management Co reduced its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 365,389 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 8,039 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 5.4% of Florida Trust Wealth Management Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $189,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 155.7% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 156 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft clarified Copilot user and monetization details, reducing uncertainty about one of its key AI revenue drivers — this helped the stock rebound after recent weakness. Microsoft Fills in Gaps on Copilot Numbers, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh optimism around OpenAI’s improving finances is lifting AI-linked names (including Microsoft, a major OpenAI backer), supporting sentiment for MSFT shares. AI Giant OpenAI Is Getting a Lift Lately. So Are Stocks Linked to It.
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is exploring superconducting power lines for data centers, a potential efficiency win that could lower long‑term operating costs as it scales cloud capacity for AI workloads. Microsoft exploring using advanced power lines to make data centers more energy-efficient
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Diamond Hill Capital increased its MSFT stake, a sign of continued conviction from some long‑term investors. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, the recent bounce is constructive but analysts warn MSFT needs to reclaim its 200‑day moving average before a sustained uptrend resumes — short-term resistance remains. Microsoft is Bouncing Back from Its Post-Earnings Price Crash, But Watch This Before You Buy MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT to Hold, flagging elevated AI capex and cash‑flow risks tied to aggressive AI infrastructure spending — a direct near‑term headwind for valuation. Stock Market Today, Feb. 10: Microsoft Stock Slips on Melius Downgrade Over AI Spending Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns persist: commentators point to below‑expectations Azure growth and say Microsoft needs to better articulate its AI investment payback, contributing to caution among some investors and analysts. Jim Cramer on Microsoft (MSFT): “I Think They Need to Explain Their Story Better”

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Evercore reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Melius Research set a $430.00 target price on Microsoft in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Microsoft from $640.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued 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 $591.95.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $413.27 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $465.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $494.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

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).