E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Purchases 5,501 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB boosted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 771,448 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,501 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 8.7% of E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $373,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter valued at $54,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 target price (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, New Street Research increased their price target on Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $588.97.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $358.96 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $407.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $466.20. The company has a market capitalization of $2.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value 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. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft 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 owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% 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 News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company rolled out Copilot Cowork and other Copilot upgrades (task‑execution across Microsoft 365 and multi‑model workflows) that expand enterprise AI use cases and adoption potential. This is being cited as a revenue/ADOPTION catalyst. Microsoft unveils AI upgrades, rolls out Copilot Cowork to early-access customers
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights the Copilot expansion and new AI products as the main reason for today’s upside — investors are watching how quickly Copilot adoption converts to revenue without margin pressure. Stock Market Today, March 30: Microsoft Rises on Copilot Expansion and New AI Product Launches
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/valuation traders and some high‑profile investors see opportunity: pieces pointing to MSFT being “oversold” and comments from investors calling the stock “extremely cheap” are prompting buy‑the‑dip flows. Those narratives can amplify rallies after product news. Microsoft Stock Hasn’t Been This Oversold In Years — Time To Buy? Bill Ackman Calls Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) ‘Extremely Cheap’ Amid Market Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish analysts argue the pullback creates large upside potential (one note citing a big rebound scenario), which can attract speculative buying on rebounds. One Analyst Sees Microsoft Soaring 90%. Here’s What the Market Might Be Missing
• Neutral Sentiment: Gaming/business model moves (Game Pass rethink and an expanded Xbox roster) are longer‑term strategic positives but remain a mixed near‑term revenue story given tough comps and prior weakness in gaming revenue. Impact on today’s trade is limited. Microsoft’s bold Game Pass rethink resets the rule for gaming
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and market skepticism persists: UBS cut its price target (still a buy), and broader headlines note MSFT as the worst‑performing Magnificent Seven stock YTD — reminders that sentiment remains fragile and could cap rallies. UBS Lowers PT on Microsoft (MSFT), Maintains a Buy Rating Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Is the Worst Mag 7 Performer YTD — Here’s Who Owns It
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage questions whether MSFT’s diversified model is helping or masking AI execution issues; continued underperformance vs. the S&P and macro/geopolitical selloffs (e.g., recent market shocks) are headwinds for sentiment and could lead to further downside if adoption/profit translation disappoints. Microsoft’s stock may extend a record stretch of lagging performance that’s ignited fierce debate

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).