Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Acquired by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Key Points

• Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 9.3% in Q4 to 104,969 shares valued at about $50.77 million, representing roughly 1.0% of the firm's portfolio and its 20th largest holding.
• MarketBeat's news roundup shows mixed signals: positive AI catalysts (reworked OpenAI deal, reported large paper gain and Copilot strategy) are offset by security/geopolitical risks (IRGC threats to the Stargate project, agent-hijacking research) and execution skepticism about AI monetization.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $588.97 target despite several price‑target cuts, and Microsoft announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend (1.0% yield; ex‑dividend date May 21).

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 104,969 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 8,968 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 1.0% of Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $50,765,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BLVD Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% during the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,371,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.0% in the third quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 2.9% during 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 last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reworked OpenAI deal and new AI research direction could accelerate Microsoft’s roadmap and narrow model gaps with competitors, supporting long‑term revenue upside. Microsoft Is on a New AI Journey After Reworked OpenAI Deal
• Positive Sentiment: A leaked OpenAI cap table highlights a large paper gain on Microsoft’s investment (reported ~17x), underscoring potential balance‑sheet/earnings upside tied to OpenAI exposure. OpenAI Cap Table Leak Reveals Microsoft’s 17x Windfall While Sam Altman Holds Zero Equity
• Positive Sentiment: Product strategy: Microsoft is shifting Copilot toward a multi‑model, agentic approach — a move that could improve enterprise adoption and monetization if execution follows. Microsoft Is Going Multi-Model with Copilot. Does the Enterprise King Win Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Channel ecosystem: Ingram Micro earning Microsoft’s “Frontier Distributor” status reinforces partner distribution for Copilot/AI solutions — supportive but indirect to near‑term revenue. Is Ingram Micro (INGM) Using Microsoft’s Frontier Status To Redefine Its AI Distribution Moat?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Pieces arguing for defensive/utility exposure and analysts calling Microsoft a value opportunity explain headline flows but are less likely to drive immediate price moves. Is This ETF the Safest Way to Benefit From AI?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical/security risk: Iran’s IRGC publicly threatened the $30B “Stargate” AI project backed by OpenAI, Microsoft and Nvidia — a direct risk to infrastructure, project timelines and investor sentiment. Iran’s IRGC Targets $30 Billion Stargate Project Backed by OpenAI, Microsoft, and Nvidia
• Negative Sentiment: Security concerns: A DeepMind paper maps how autonomous agents can be hijacked; tests show successful data exfiltration against Microsoft M365 Copilot — a potential liability for enterprise trust and adoption. Deepmind’s ‘AI Agent Traps’ Paper Maps How Hackers Could Weaponize AI Agents Against Users
• Negative Sentiment: Execution skepticism: Analysis of 84 earnings calls argues Satya Nadella’s AI rhetoric outpaces measurable financial results, feeding short‑term doubts about revenue conversion from AI hype. Microsoft's 84 Earnings Calls Reveal AI Reality Check As Nadella's Words Outpace Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $392.00 target price (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.97.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $373.46 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $400.76 and a 200-day moving average of $462.28. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was 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 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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