Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Tran Capital Management L.P.

Key Points

• Tran Capital Management L.P. trimmed its Microsoft stake by 3.3% in Q4, selling 4,074 shares and leaving it with 120,170 shares worth $58.12 million, which represents about 7.0% of its portfolio and is its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat expectations for the quarter with $4.14 EPS vs. $3.86 consensus and $81.27 billion in revenue (+16.7% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 ($3.64 annualized, 0.9% yield) with an ex-dividend date of May 21.
• Insider activity was mixed—EVP Kathleen Hogan sold 12,321 shares (~$5.05M) while Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares—and institutional investors own about 71.13% of Microsoft, with analysts holding a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average price target of $577.58.

Tran Capital Management L.P. lessened its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,170 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,074 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 7.0% of Tran Capital Management L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Tran Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $58,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J2 Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 712 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 21,328 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $10,315,000 after purchasing an additional 889 shares during the last quarter. Chatterton & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,638,000. Sovran Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 48,007 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $21,923,000 after purchasing an additional 6,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McBroom & Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. McBroom & Associates LLC now owns 19,775 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,563,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $422.79 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.14 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average price is $391.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $454.04. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $355.67 and a 52 week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MSFT. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $392.00 target price (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $641.00 target price (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $515.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $577.58.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fairwater AI data center in Wisconsin went live ahead of schedule, a tangible execution win that eases near‑term capacity concerns and signals Microsoft is accelerating AI infrastructure deployment — a direct positive for Azure AI revenue prospects. Microsoft stock jumps as AI data center goes live
• Positive Sentiment: Large enterprise partnerships and marketplace integrations broaden Azure adoption: Stellantis signed a five‑year AI/cloud deal and Expert.ai’s EidenAI Suite is now on Azure Marketplace — both expand addressable enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud + Copilot stack. Stellantis, Microsoft sign five-year partnership Expert.ai and Microsoft Italy announce collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Government and regulatory adoption — the CFTC is using Microsoft Copilot/AI tools for surveillance, a sign that public‑sector adoption of Microsoft AI products is rising and provides a durable revenue cohort. CFTC Uses Microsoft AI Tools
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed: TD Cowen lowered its price target to $540 but kept a Buy rating (maintains bullish long‑term view despite trimming upside), while other firms have grown cautious — watch revisions for near‑term momentum. TD Cowen price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/earnings calendar: investors are watching fiscal Q3 results (Apr 29) for signs AI spend is translating into accelerating Azure revenue and Copilot monetization; near‑term volatility could persist into the print. Microsoft eyes AI execution, Azure growth
• Negative Sentiment: Industry capacity risk: Financial Times reports delays on a sizeable share of U.S. data‑center builds (affecting multiple players), underscoring supply‑chain and permitting risks that could constrain AI rollout timing and margin recovery. Data centre delays threaten to choke AI expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and downside scenarios remain: some analysts and opinion pieces argue MSFT still faces near‑term growth/valuation risks (including calls for deeper corrections), so rallies could be met with profit‑taking until clearer proof of AI monetization appears. Microsoft: Don't Buy The Dip

About Microsoft

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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