2,393 Shares in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Bought by Auctus Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Auctus Advisors LLC opened a new position in Microsoft by buying 2,393 shares (~$1.157 million) in Q4, making MSFT 1.1% of the fund's portfolio and its fourth-largest holding.
• Corporate insiders were active: Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares at $397.35 (~$1.99 million), while EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares at $409.52 (~$5.05 million), an 8.2% reduction in her stake.
• Microsoft recently beat estimates with Q earnings of $4.14 EPS vs. $3.86 expected and $81.27B revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share (annualized $3.64, ~1.0% yield).

Auctus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,393 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $1,157,000. Microsoft comprises 1.1% of Auctus Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Microsoft during the third quarter worth $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft during the third quarter worth $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $372.88 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $398.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $461.32. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion during 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 revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal 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 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MSFT. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $641.00 price objective (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $588.97.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reworked OpenAI relationship and strategic AI positioning that could accelerate MSFT’s cloud/AI roadmap — a Barron’s write-up frames the company as entering a new AI phase, supporting revenue and long-term growth expectations. Microsoft Is on a New AI Journey After Reworked OpenAI Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic ESG purchase: Microsoft agreed to buy 626,000 tonnes of BECCS carbon removal credits from a Meadow Lake Tribal Council–Svante project — helps corporate net-zero profile and reduces regulatory/PR risk on climate commitments. Svante & Meadow Lake Tribal Council Partnership Agrees to Sell Microsoft 626,000 Tonnes of Carbon Removal Credits
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation/long-term buy case: Several analysts and investors highlight MSFT as attractively priced after a sizable pullback — Seeking Alpha and other outlets argue the company’s double-digit growth and margins make it a buy on the dip. Microsoft: Double-Digit Growth At A Rare Discount
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative AI positioning: Coverage comparing Oracle vs Microsoft as AI/cloud plays underscores MSFT’s strengths but also highlights competitive dynamics and execution trade-offs — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Oracle vs. Microsoft: Which Cloud Giant is the Better AI Play for 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector flow: MSFT features in bullish ETF/QQQ narratives — institutional buying and rotation into beaten-down tech names could support shares if macro volatility subsides. 5 Reasons the Invesco QQQ ETF Could Be Headed for a Triple-Digit Rally
• Negative Sentiment: Copilot safety/TOS headlines and security research have dented confidence — viral terms-of-service language and reports about AI-agent “trap” exploits targeting Copilot/M365 raise legal, reputational and product-risk questions. “For Entertainment Purposes Only”: Microsoft Stock NASDAQ: MSFT Slips as Copilot Warnings Emerge
• Negative Sentiment: Independent research (DeepMind framework) highlights potential ways AI agents can be weaponized, with examples noting M365 Copilot vulnerabilities — raises short-term security scrutiny and potential remediation costs. Deepmind’s ‘AI Agent Traps’ Paper Maps How Hackers Could Weaponize AI Agents Against Users
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical/physical-risk headlines: Iran’s IRGC threats to large AI hubs (projects backed by Microsoft/OpenAI/NVIDIA) and investor pressure over data-center water/power use add geopolitical and ESG risk layers that could increase costs or slow builds. Iran’s IRGC Targets $30 Billion Stargate Project Backed by OpenAI, Microsoft, and Nvidia Investors press Amazon, Microsoft and Google on water, power use in US data centers

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).

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