Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Bought by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

Key Points

• NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its Microsoft position by 1.1% in Q4, adding 3,138 shares to hold 290,330 shares worth $137.28 million, making MSFT ~3.1% of its portfolio and its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat quarterly estimates, reporting $4.14 EPS vs. $3.86 expected and $81.27 billion in revenue (up 16.7% year‑over‑year) with a 39.0% net margin.
• Shares opened at $356.77 (down ~2.5%), trading well below the 52‑week high of $555.45; the company has a market cap of about $2.65 trillion, a P/E of 22.31, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.91 (1.0% yield) payable June 11.

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 290,330 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 3,138 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 3.1% of NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $137,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DDFG Inc boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. DDFG Inc now owns 2,110 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. raised its holdings in Microsoft by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 72,271 shares of the software giant's stock worth $34,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 53,850 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $26,043,000 after purchasing an additional 3,003 shares during the period. Genesis Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Genesis Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,070 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,419,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sincerus Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Sincerus Advisory LLC now owns 826 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $356.77 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $2.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $409.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $467.65.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.23 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MSFT shares. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.97.

More Microsoft News

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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