Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Triangle Securities Wealth Management

Key Points

• Triangle Securities Wealth Management raised its Microsoft stake by 29.2% in Q3 to 25,679 shares (about $13.3M), making MSFT ~3.0% of the firm's portfolio and its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat last quarter's estimates with EPS $4.13 vs. $3.65 and revenue $77.67B vs. $75.49B (revenue +18.4% YoY), and the company has a market cap of roughly $3.52 trillion.
• Insiders have sold shares recently (54,100 shares worth ~$27.6M in the past 90 days, including Bradford L. Smith), but analysts remain broadly bullish — MarketBeat's consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $631.03, and Microsoft announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend (0.8% yield).

Triangle Securities Wealth Management increased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 29.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,679 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 5,805 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 3.0% of Triangle Securities Wealth Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Triangle Securities Wealth Management's holdings in Microsoft were worth $13,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,941,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $46,816,000 after purchasing an additional 2,373 shares during the period. Real Talk Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.6% during the first quarter. Real Talk Capital LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the software giant's stock worth $860,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Microsoft by 3.8% during the second quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 922,524 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $457,119,000 after buying an additional 33,382 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 4.3% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 285,163 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $147,700,000 after buying an additional 11,770 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $472.94 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock's fifty day moving average is $493.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $503.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.64, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.07.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.30 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.89%.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly bullish on MSFT — analysts and outlets label Microsoft a top pick for 2026 and a "strong buy," citing AI monetization and cloud durability as drivers of upside. Wall Street Says Microsoft Is a ‘Strong Buy.’ Let’s Look at Who Owns MSFT Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts publicly prefer Microsoft over Google in the AI race, arguing MSFT's Azure and partnerships reduce downside risk versus peers — a positive signal for longer‑term market share and revenue capture. Why This Analyst Prefers Microsoft Over Google In The AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Debt and cash flow profile supports sustained AI investment — several writeups (including MarketBeat roundups) say MSFT’s balance sheet makes elevated CapEx manageable and that recent pullbacks are "buyable dips." Beyond the Santa Claus Rally—5 Quality Stocks to Buy in 2026 (MSFT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue raised CapEx for AI isn't a major concern versus future ROI, positioning MSFT as still relatively cheap on an AI-adjusted basis — a mixed read that keeps volatility likely while fundamentals mature. Microsoft: AI Superpower Still Cheap - Raised Capex Not A Big Concern
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure is coming from investors reassessing Microsoft’s AI edge versus Alphabet/Google — uncertainty over who will monetize AI faster is prompting profit‑taking and weighing on the stock. Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Moves Lower As Investors Assess Its AI Edge Against Google
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market action is mixed — the Nasdaq was roughly flat while indexes rotated — and Microsoft’s size makes it a significant weight on the tech‑heavy index, magnifying any MSFT weakness for the session. How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 1/2/2026

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 461,597 shares in the company, valued at $239,402,668.08. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $625.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Baird R W raised Microsoft to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $631.03.

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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