Advocate Group LLC Sells 2,788 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Advocate Group LLC reduced its Microsoft stake by 11.3%, selling 2,788 shares and ending the quarter with 21,903 shares valued at about $10.59 million (≈1.7% of its holdings and the firm's 15th-largest position).
• Microsoft's AI execution is gaining momentum: the Fairwater AI data center went live ahead of schedule and large enterprise (Stellantis) and government (CFTC) adoptions are expanding Azure/Copilot revenue opportunities.
• Notable insider and company developments: EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares (~$5.05M) while director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares; Microsoft also beat quarterly estimates (EPS $4.14 vs. $3.86; revenue $81.27B) and announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend ($3.64 annual, 0.9% yield).

Advocate Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,903 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 2,788 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 1.7% of Advocate Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Advocate Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $10,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 18,378 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $8,888,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 142,616 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $68,972,000 after acquiring an additional 2,005 shares during the period. Semitam Bonam LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $204,000. JB Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 27,320 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $13,213,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, J2 Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 712 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fairwater AI data center in Wisconsin went live ahead of schedule, a tangible execution win that eases near‑term capacity concerns and signals Microsoft is accelerating AI infrastructure deployment — a direct positive for Azure AI revenue prospects. Microsoft stock jumps as AI data center goes live
• Positive Sentiment: Large enterprise partnerships and marketplace integrations broaden Azure adoption: Stellantis signed a five‑year AI/cloud deal and Expert.ai’s EidenAI Suite is now on Azure Marketplace — both expand addressable enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud + Copilot stack. Stellantis, Microsoft sign five-year partnership Expert.ai and Microsoft Italy announce collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Government and regulatory adoption — the CFTC is using Microsoft Copilot/AI tools for surveillance, a sign that public‑sector adoption of Microsoft AI products is rising and provides a durable revenue cohort. CFTC Uses Microsoft AI Tools
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed: TD Cowen lowered its price target to $540 but kept a Buy rating (maintains bullish long‑term view despite trimming upside), while other firms have grown cautious — watch revisions for near‑term momentum. TD Cowen price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/earnings calendar: investors are watching fiscal Q3 results (Apr 29) for signs AI spend is translating into accelerating Azure revenue and Copilot monetization; near‑term volatility could persist into the print. Microsoft eyes AI execution, Azure growth
• Negative Sentiment: Industry capacity risk: Financial Times reports delays on a sizeable share of U.S. data‑center builds (affecting multiple players), underscoring supply‑chain and permitting risks that could constrain AI rollout timing and margin recovery. Data centre delays threaten to choke AI expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and downside scenarios remain: some analysts and opinion pieces argue MSFT still faces near‑term growth/valuation risks (including calls for deeper corrections), so rallies could be met with profit‑taking until clearer proof of AI monetization appears. Microsoft: Don't Buy The Dip

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. KeyCorp cut their price objective on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore cut their price objective on Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Microsoft from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America started coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Microsoft from $620.00 to $515.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $577.58.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $422.79 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $391.87 and its 200 day moving average is $454.04. 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 $355.67 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. Research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Microsoft 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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