Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Raised by Ballentine Partners LLC

Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 195,881 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,603 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 1.4% of Ballentine Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $101,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Melius Research set a $430.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $641.00 price target (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $591.95.

Microsoft Stock Down 3.2%

Microsoft stock opened at $384.47 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $450.33 and its 200-day moving average is $486.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid 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 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas says OpenAI’s updated spending plan still benefits big cloud suppliers, reinforcing Azure demand for Microsoft’s AI infrastructure. OpenAI’s New Spending Plan Is Still a Positive for Microsoft and Oracle, Says BNP Paribas
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs’ bullish take on Microsoft after Maia 200 (Microsoft’s AI accelerator) narrows performance gaps with competitors gives a growth narrative that can support multiple expansion or limit downside. Maia 200 Gives Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) a Boost With Goldman Sachs, But Nowhere Else
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party software and agents continue to land in Microsoft Marketplace (CrowdStrike Falcon, AI/R’s Llia, Reltio Azure certification), expanding Azure ecosystem monetization and ARR stickiness. Microsoft (MSFT) Positions for Long-Term AI and Enterprise Growth AI/R’s Intelligent AI Agent for Recruitment Operations Now Available in the Microsoft Marketplace
• Positive Sentiment: Bridgewater’s estimate that big tech will invest roughly $650B in AI this year supports continued hyperscaler demand for cloud/datacenter capacity—structural tailwind for Azure. Big Tech to invest about $650 billion in AI in 2026, Bridgewater says
• Neutral Sentiment: Market technicals and insider activity are mixed: a senior director’s recent buy and oversold indicators (RSI, MACD) suggest the selloff may be nearing exhaustion, but that’s not a guarantee of an immediate rebound. Microsoft stock page (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising capex for AI/datacenters (66% surge noted by some analysts) is raising investor fears about the timing of returns and free‑cash‑flow pressure—even if Microsoft can fund spending internally. Is MSFT Stock Vulnerable to Rising CapEx Pressure From AI Spending?
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership change at Xbox—Phil Spencer’s retirement and Asha Sharma’s promotion—spooked investors who see gaming as a near‑term revenue headwind and worry about execution during the transition. That news contributed to intraday weakness. Gaming Reinvents Itself Around Software and Subscriptions Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Slips on Departure of Gaming CEO Phil Spencer
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst churn: some downgrades and skeptical coverage (e.g., recent downgrade notes) add selling pressure during the broader tech pullback. Palantir Upgraded, Microsoft Downgraded: Updated Rankings on Top Blue-Chip Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and strategic risks: OpenAI’s expanding partnerships (consultancies) and questions about the long‑term return on Microsoft’s ~\$13B OpenAI investment create uncertainty about exclusive advantages and future monetization. OpenAI partners with McKinsey, BCG, Accenture, and Capgemini to push its Frontier AI agent platform Microsoft (MSFT) Stock: Tech Giant Locks 20% of OpenAI Revenue to 2032

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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).