CWA Asset Management Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 205,832 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 3.6% of CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $99,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $11,811,000. Innova Wealth Partners lifted its position in Microsoft by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Innova Wealth Partners now owns 6,535 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,161,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in Microsoft by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 65,750 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $31,798,000 after purchasing an additional 19,654 shares during the period. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,075 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,840,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. Finally, Noble Family Wealth LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Noble Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,981 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,925,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MSFT opened at $371.04 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $413.24 and its 200 day moving average is $469.35. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.76 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly 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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The business had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Melius Research set a $430.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, February 9th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $588.97.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA reinstated coverage with a Buy and a $500 price target, highlighting Azure and Copilot as drivers for multiyear upside. BofA Projects 31% Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and Nvidia unveiled an AI partnership aimed at accelerating nuclear-energy design and operations — a potential new commercial use case that underscores enterprise AI tailwinds. Microsoft, Nvidia Team Up To Build AI-Powered Nuclear Energy Future
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership and HR changes (including the departure of Microsoft’s diversity chief and a wider HR reorganization) are underway — operationally important but with an unclear near-term impact on revenue. Microsoft’s diversity chief is leaving
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch reports this is MSFT’s worst quarter in 17 years, citing weak near-term trends in cloud and software that may not be quickly fixed — a primary driver of negative sentiment. Microsoft’s stock is having its worst quarter in 17 years
• Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its 12‑month price target (from $600 to $510), flagging investor scrutiny on M365 and Copilot monetization — a sign analysts see slower near-term upside even if long‑term views remain constructive. Microsoft price target lowered on M365, Copilot questions
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s investor document lists heavy reliance on Microsoft for financing and compute as a top risk — this disclosure increases perceived counterparty/partner concentration risk. OpenAI Flags Microsoft as ‘Top Risk’
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Copilot retention/monetization issues and rising AI infrastructure spending suggests the stock will need clearer product traction or margin evidence to resume a sustainable rally. Microsoft Shows “Sense of Urgency,” But MSFT Stock Will Only Rally on This Condition

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).