Arvest Investments Inc. Grows Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Arvest Investments Inc. raised its stake by 35.5% in Microsoft in Q4, owning 13,866 shares worth about $6.71 million, while institutional investors collectively hold roughly 71.13% of MSFT stock.
• Microsoft beat expectations in the most recent quarter with EPS $4.14 versus $3.86 expected and revenue of $81.27 billion (up 16.7% year‑over‑year), highlighting continued AI/cloud-driven momentum.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 (annualized $3.64, yield ~0.9%); analysts maintain a consensus of Moderate Buy with an average target near $577 despite several recent target cuts.

Arvest Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 35.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,866 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 3,635 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $6,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 27.0% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,658,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% during the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,735,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $422.79 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $391.87 and a 200 day moving average of $454.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.11. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $355.67 and a 12 month high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. TD Cowen cut their price target on Microsoft from $610.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup cut their price target on Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $577.58.

More Microsoft News

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 Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, 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 value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the company'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 purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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