Close Asset Management Ltd Acquires 54,972 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Close Asset Management Ltd raised its Microsoft stake by 6.3% in Q3, buying 54,972 shares to hold 923,628 shares—MSFT represents about 10.6% of its portfolio and its holdings were valued at ~$478.4 million.
• Microsoft beat quarterly expectations (EPS $4.14 vs. $3.86; revenue $81.27B vs. $80.28B) with revenue up 16.7% year‑over‑year; the stock trades at a ~$3.01 trillion market cap and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" average target of $591.95.
• Microsoft is accelerating a multi‑model AI push (deeper Anthropic integration and a new $99 "Frontier" M365 AI tier) to drive Azure and Copilot monetization, but regulatory/legal exposure, rising short interest and recent insider selling could heighten near‑term volatility; the company also announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend (0.9% yield).

Close Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 923,628 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 54,972 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 10.6% of Close Asset Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Close Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Microsoft were worth $478,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its position in Microsoft by 27.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% during the 2nd 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 raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $404.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $430.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $477.49.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.76%.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is doubling down on a multi‑model AI strategy and deeper Anthropic integration (Copilot Cowork / Claude) that should boost Azure consumption and enterprise Copilot seat revenue. Microsoft aims to be multi-model: Exec talks Anthropic AI team-up
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched a higher‑priced M365 “Frontier” / E7 $99 AI subscription and other enterprise AI bundles—moves that can lift ARPU, accelerate Copilot adoption and create stickier recurring revenue. Microsoft unveils $99 'Frontier' AI subscription
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other sell‑side firms remain constructive (Buy/Outperform and elevated price targets), supporting longer‑term upside narratives tied to Azure and Copilot monetization. Here’s What Jefferies Think About Microsoft (MSFT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is in talks to lease a Texas AI data‑center site (after Oracle shelved plans) — an operational step toward capacity growth but with timing/costs still uncertain. Microsoft in talks to lease Texas AI data center site
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft said it will ship a prototype of the next Xbox to developers in 2027 (AMD silicon, improved ray tracing) — positive for long‑term gaming revenue but not an immediate earnings driver. Microsoft plans to ship prototype of next Xbox console to developers in 2027
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risk: Microsoft filed an amicus brief backing Anthropic in its suit to block the Pentagon’s supply‑chain designation — this preserves product access and Azure revenue but raises political and compliance exposure that could create near‑term uncertainty. Microsoft files amicus brief in support of Anthropic's lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Growing bearish positioning and insider activity: short interest jumped materially in late Feb and an EVP disclosed a multi‑million‑dollar share sale — both can amplify downside momentum in volatile sessions. SEC Form 4 — Kathleen T. Hogan sale
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk: market strategists are warning of mid‑March seasonality, geopolitical tensions (Middle East) and heightened volatility — factors that tend to hit large tech names and can pressure multiples. Market Crash Warning? Wall Street Veteran Says Mid-March Could Mark a Turning Point

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Melius Research set a $430.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $392.00 price target (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $591.95.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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. The purchase was disclosed in a legal 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 business'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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Microsoft

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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