Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• McElhenny Sheffield trimmed its position by 32.9%, selling 4,290 Microsoft shares in Q4 and leaving 8,764 shares worth $4.239 million (MSFT is 1.0% of the firm's portfolio and its 10th largest holding).
• Mixed insider activity: EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares (~$5.05M) on March 6, while Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares (~$1.99M) on February 18.
• Company fundamentals and payout: Microsoft beat Q results with $4.14 EPS and $81.27B revenue (up 16.7% YoY), and announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend ($3.64 annualized, ~0.9% yield; ex-dividend/record date May 21, payable June 11).

McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,764 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,290 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 1.0% of McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $4,239,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.1%

MSFT stock opened at $424.54 on Friday. 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. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $393.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $451.12. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $356.28 and a 1-year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. Analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Microsoft News Summary

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MSFT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $575.34.

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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