Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Holdings Lowered by Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY

Key Points

• Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY cut its Microsoft position by 6.4% in the first quarter, selling 8,248 shares. Even after the reduction, Microsoft remained its second-largest holding at 5.1% of the portfolio, worth about $44.5 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Microsoft remains constructive overall, with 41 analysts rating it a Buy and the consensus view at Moderate Buy. The average price target is $560.86, though several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Microsoft beat quarterly expectations, reporting $4.27 EPS on $82.89 billion in revenue, and also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share. The stock was down about 1.2% in Tuesday trading, while investors continue weighing AI/cloud growth against regulatory and legal risks.

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY reduced its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 120,322 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 8,248 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 5.1% of Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY's holdings in Microsoft were worth $44,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 2.9% in the third quarter. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 700 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the second 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. Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.9% during the third quarter. Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk LLC now owns 431 shares of the software giant's stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Fischer Investment Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Fischer Investment Strategies LLC now owns 697 shares of the software giant's stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Pollock Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% during the third quarter. Pollock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,805 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,453,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore reduced their price objective on Microsoft from $580.00 to $510.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DZ Bank reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. HSBC cut their price target on Microsoft from $593.00 to $571.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $515.00 price target (down from $630.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, April 27th. Forty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $560.86.

Microsoft Stock Down 1.2%

MSFT opened at $368.57 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.74 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $409.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $420.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.Microsoft's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 21.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish voices argue the selloff has made Microsoft look oversold, with analysts and strategists like Dan Ives calling the pullback a buying opportunity and pointing to Microsoft’s long-term AI and cloud strength. Dan Ives Says the $3 Trillion Tech Wipeout Is a Buying Opportunity. Here’s His Case
• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed long-dated call options on Microsoft, a signal that at least one high-profile investor sees significant upside over the next several years. “Big Short” Legend Michael Burry Just Bet Big on Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also announced new enterprise partnerships, including integrations that expand its cloud, AI, and cybersecurity ecosystem, which supports the long-term growth story. Microsoft (MSFT) Expands Operations With a New Strategic Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles frame the stock’s recent weakness as a value-versus-trap debate, reflecting uncertainty rather than a clear new catalyst. Microsoft Stock: Value Trap or Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is also facing fresh regulatory and legal scrutiny, including an EU gatekeeper review, an Italy antitrust probe, and a copyright lawsuit tied to AI training data, which adds headline risk. Microsoft (MSFT) Faces EU Gatekeeper Move And Italy Antitrust Probe
• Negative Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment has also turned more cautious, with Stifel cutting its price target and keeping a Hold rating amid margin concerns. Stifel Lowers PT on Microsoft (MSFT), Maintains a Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Investor lawsuits and class-action notices related to alleged securities fraud and Copilot deficiencies are adding to sentiment pressure around the stock. Deadline Alert: Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Shareholders Who Lost Money Urged To Contact Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP About Securities Fraud Lawsuit

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.84, for a total transaction of $1,812,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,468 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,122,009.12. The trade was a 8.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at $18,922,874.02. The trade was a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 23,762 shares of company stock worth $10,508,361 in the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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