Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Lowered by Congress Asset Management Co.

Key Points

• Congress Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in Microsoft by 2.3% in Q4, selling 14,993 shares and leaving it with 643,106 shares worth $311.02 million, making MSFT its 4th-largest holding (2.2% of the portfolio).
• Microsoft beat estimates in the most recent quarter with EPS $4.14 versus $3.86 and revenue of $81.27 billion (up 16.7% YoY); the company trades at a $2.65 trillion market cap and a P/E of 22.31.
• Sentiment is mixed—analysts have trimmed price targets (average target ~$588.97) while concerns over heavy AI spending (reports of roughly $30B per quarter) and slowing Copilot adoption have pressured the stock, though many firms still rate it a Buy.

Congress Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 643,106 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 14,993 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 2.2% of Congress Asset Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Congress Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $311,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT opened at $356.77 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $409.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $467.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market cap of $2.65 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some Wall Street analysts still see large upside for MSFT, arguing the pullback may be overdone and presenting a buying opportunity for long‑term investors. Wall Street Says Microsoft Stock Has 89% Rebound Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental revenue drivers remain: LinkedIn ad growth and marketing solutions are cited as near‑term revenue positives that help offset AI spending concerns. Microsoft Benefits From LinkedIn Ad Growth: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft has implemented targeted hiring freezes in major cloud and North American sales groups while keeping AI and engineering hiring active — a cost‑management move that highlights prioritization of AI infrastructure but leaves uncertainty over near‑term sales execution. Microsoft freezes hiring in major cloud, sales groups, The Information reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure expansion continues: third‑party partner Crusoe announced a 900 MW AI campus in Abilene, Texas to support large‑scale workloads for Microsoft — this reinforces demand for hyperscale capacity even as investors debate ROI timing. Crusoe Announces New 900 MW AI Factory Campus in Abilene, Texas to Support Microsoft AI Infrastructure
• Negative Sentiment: Market narrative has flipped: analysts and commentary say Microsoft is “losing the AI narrative,” and technical indicators show the stock at decade‑low oversold levels — fueling momentum selling. Microsoft’s stock hasn’t been this oversold in a decade, with the tech giant ‘really losing the AI narrative’
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy AI capex and execution concerns: multiple reports highlight Microsoft’s very large AI spending (reports cite ~$30B per quarter-level scale), slowing Copilot adoption vs. expectations, and the stock is on track for its worst quarter since 2008 — pressuring valuations and near‑term sentiment. Microsoft Is Down 24% This Year While Spending $30B a Quarter on AI
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and strategic risks are rising: OpenAI and other AI firms (including reports of Anthropic eyeing an IPO) are evolving relationships and competition that could reduce Microsoft’s exclusive leverage in parts of the AI stack. Anthropic eyes IPO, Microsoft stock set for worst quarter since 2008

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research cut their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $530.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $392.00 price target (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Microsoft from $640.00 to $620.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $588.97.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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