Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Lifted by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Key Points

• Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its Microsoft stake by 1.7%, buying 6,426 shares to hold 374,629 shares valued at about $181.18 million, roughly 2.0% of the firm's assets and making MSFT its 6th-largest holding.
• Analysts collectively rate Microsoft a "Moderate Buy" (38 Buys, 2 Strong Buys, 5 Holds) with an average price target of $577.58, though individual targets range from about $450 to $610 and some firms have trimmed upside (e.g., TD Cowen to $540).
• Microsoft beat quarterly estimates with $4.14 EPS and $81.27 billion revenue, announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 (0.9% yield), and saw insider activity including a 5,000-share purchase by Director John W. Stanton and a 12,321-share sale by EVP Kathleen T. Hogan.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 374,629 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 6,426 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises about 2.0% of Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $181,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MSFT. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 price target on Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America began coverage on Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Microsoft from $610.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $577.58.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company'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 value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $422.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.14 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $355.67 and a 12-month high of $555.45. 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 50 day simple moving average is $391.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $454.48.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The business 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share 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 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 dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Microsoft News Roundup

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

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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