Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Norris Perne & French LLP MI

Key Points

• Strong quarterly results: Microsoft beat estimates with EPS of $4.27 vs. $4.06 and revenue of $82.89 billion (up 18.3% year-over-year), posting a net margin of 39.34%.
• Bullish momentum but capex concerns: AI adoption and government wins support upside, but a roughly $190 billion capex guidance and rising AI spending have raised free‑cash‑flow concerns and prompted some price‑target cuts; MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $556.15 target.
• Positioning and insider activity: Norris Perne & French trimmed its stake by 1.1% (selling 2,579 shares) though Microsoft remains its largest holding (~7.3%, $109.96M); institutional investors own 71.13% and insiders disclosed both a sale (EVP Kathleen Hogan) and a purchase (director John W. Stanton).

Norris Perne & French LLP MI trimmed its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 227,370 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 2,579 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 7.3% of Norris Perne & French LLP MI's portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Norris Perne & French LLP MI's holdings in Microsoft were worth $109,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $414.41 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $356.28 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company's fifty day moving average is $395.28 and its 200 day moving average is $447.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.46 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.68 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 21.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $515.00 price target (down from $630.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $580.00 to $510.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $556.15.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results and the earnings call highlighted 40%+ Azure/cloud growth and accelerating AI monetization, giving investors confidence in the company’s long-term AI revenue runway. Microsoft Earnings Call: AI Growth Surges, Margins Squeezed
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Pentagon signed agreements allowing Microsoft’s AI tech on classified networks — a credibility and contract win that can translate into long-term, high‑value government revenue. Pentagon inks deals with Nvidia, Microsoft and AWS to deploy AI on classified networks
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst actions include several price‑target raises and reaffirmations (Benchmark raised to $525, others keep buy ratings), signaling continued bullish conviction among some buy‑side firms. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Price Target Increased to $525 by Benchmark
• Positive Sentiment: Product catalyst: rollout of Windows 11’s new Xbox Mode supports consumer engagement and adds a near‑term, tangible product story for the stock. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Jumps on Windows 11 Xbox Mode Rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: The revised Microsoft–OpenAI relationship (ending exclusivity) is being parsed by markets: it reduces some exclusivity upside but clarifies commercial terms that could be neutral-to-positive longer term depending on monetization. Microsoft and OpenAI Just Ended Their Exclusive Deal, and Wall Street Is Trying Hard to Shake Off the Negatives for MSFT Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary from TV/hosts (e.g., Jim Cramer) describes MSFT as attractively valued but notes limited new messaging on the call — this shapes retail sentiment but isn’t new fundamental data. Jim Cramer on Microsoft: “Maybe You Can Consider It Cheap, But It’s Software”
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on record capex (roughly $190B guidance) and the near‑term hit to free cash flow — that spending narrative caused the post‑earnings pullback and continues to cap the multiple. Beat meets bill: MSFT stock slips on AI expenditure concerns despite strong Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman’s note flagging extreme cloud cash burn and other outlets highlighting the industry’s rising AI capex raises concern that spending could pressure margins and returns if monetization lags. Microsoft, Amazon On Watch ― Goldman Sounds Alarm On 90% Cloud Cash Burn
• Negative Sentiment: Some brokers trimmed price targets or cut upside on valuation as they bake in capex risk (HSBC cut its target), keeping a portion of the market cautious. HSBC Cuts Microsoft Price Target to $571 From $593

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Company 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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