BIP Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 69.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,577 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 14,190 shares during the quarter. BIP Wealth LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $16,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,956 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,880,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. HRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,322 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Master S Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 192.2% in the fourth quarter. Master S Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,274 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $616,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the period. C2C Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. C2C Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,392 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $7,928,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. now owns 5,404 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MSFT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Microsoft from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $392.00 price target (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $575.34.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MSFT
Microsoft Trading Up 2.1%
Microsoft stock opened at $424.54 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $393.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $451.12. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $356.28 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.15 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.11.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. Microsoft's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Microsoft Announces Dividend
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 $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 22.76%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft
In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Key Stories Impacting Microsoft
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft announced a roughly $18B investment in Australia to expand Azure AI supercomputing, cloud capacity, cybersecurity and upskilling — a major long‑term revenue and capacity commitment that supports the AI growth narrative. Microsoft to invest $18B in Australia to expand AI, cloud and digital infrastructure
- Positive Sentiment: High‑profile investor Michael Burry disclosed a new long position in MSFT, signaling conviction from a value‑oriented, headline‑driving buyer — this can attract other investors looking for a contrarian entry. Big Short Investor Michael Burry Opens New Position in Microsoft Stock (MSFT)
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat: Jefferies reaffirmed a Buy and other firms (Guggenheim, TD Cowen) have high price targets or bullish notes citing Copilot/Azure monetization, supporting upside sentiment into earnings. Jefferies gives a buy rating on Microsoft
- Positive Sentiment: Gaming/product signals: Xbox branding returned and leaked details of a cheaper Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition have lifted expectations for consumer engagement and subscription growth. Microsoft Gaming reverts to Xbox branding as part of new mission statement
- Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst: Microsoft reports fiscal Q3 results on April 29 — earnings will likely drive larger intraday moves as investors look for Azure growth, Copilot adoption and AI capex conversion. Microsoft Will Report Q3 Earnings on April 29
- Neutral Sentiment: Market context: Tech sector strength and broader AI‑led optimism are supporting MSFT alongside peers; short‑interest data in the feed is not meaningful (reported 0 shares). Sector Update: Tech Stocks Gain Late Afternoon
- Negative Sentiment: Cost/structure concerns: Microsoft launched its first‑ever voluntary buyout program (~7% of U.S. workforce) as it reshapes for AI — while aimed at efficiency, the move and public discussion of heavy AI capex have pressured sentiment and raised near‑term uncertainty. Microsoft plans first voluntary employee buyout in company's 51-year history
- Negative Sentiment: Investor worry over AI capital intensity and OpenAI dependence persists in commentary and some sell‑side notes, which could keep volatility elevated into earnings despite long‑term upside. Microsoft Is A Value Trap, OpenAI Dependence Could Backfire
Microsoft Profile
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Free Report)
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).
Further Reading

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