Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Increased by Vanderbilt University

Key Points

• Vanderbilt University raised its Microsoft stake by 39.4% in Q4 to 15,525 shares worth about $7.51 million, making MSFT ~1.3% of its portfolio and its 14th-largest holding.
• Several firms have trimmed price targets recently, but the street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $576.66.
• Market catalysts are mixed: Microsoft will embed Anthropic’s Claude Mythos into its secure development lifecycle (positive for AI-security), yet it must face a $2.8 billion U.K. lawsuit over cloud-license claims (a headline risk).

Vanderbilt University raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 39.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,525 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 4,385 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.3% of Vanderbilt University's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 51.3% in the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MSFT. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Microsoft from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wedbush decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $576.66.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft said it will embed Anthropic’s Claude Mythos into its secure development lifecycle (Project Glasswing) to find and mitigate vulnerabilities earlier — a move that strengthens Microsoft’s AI-security offering and underpins enterprise trust in Azure and dev tools. Microsoft to integrate Anthropic's Mythos into its security development program
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing remains strong: KeyBanc reiterated an Overweight rating (with a $600 target) and other firms continue to publish high price targets, supporting upside expectations into earnings. Is Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) a Top AI Play on Azure Growth and Memory Supply Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft cut Xbox Game Pass prices (and reshaped Call of Duty access) to win back gamers — a consumer-facing move that may boost subscription growth and engagement, and has been received positively by the market. Microsoft cuts Game Pass subscription prices after new Xbox CEO promises to 'recommit' to gamers
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights Microsoft’s push to be the “agentic AI internet” backbone — messaging that fuels investor optimism around Azure and platform monetization. “We Do Not Have Conflicting Interests….” Microsoft Stock NASDAQ: MSFT Gains on New Plan to be the Agentic AI Internet’s Backbone
• Neutral Sentiment: LinkedIn promoted longtime COO Daniel Shapero to CEO while Ryan Roslansky takes a broader Microsoft role — an orderly internal transition that reduces execution risk but is unlikely to move core financials in the near term. LinkedIn’s CEO is moving on; please hold your tearful video tributes
• Negative Sentiment: A U.K. tribunal ruled Microsoft must face a mass $2.8 billion lawsuit alleging overcharging on cloud licences — a large headline risk that could pressure sentiment and create legal/legal-cost uncertainty. Microsoft must face $2.8 billion UK lawsuit over cloud computing licences
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary (e.g., “Code Red” pieces) suggests some investors worry Microsoft is losing momentum in parts of the AI race — such narratives can amplify short-term selling pressure ahead of earnings. Microsoft’s Code Red Is Real: Can It Keep Up in the AI Race?

Microsoft Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $432.92 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $392.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $452.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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