Moran Wealth Management LLC Has $46.91 Million Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management trimmed its Microsoft stake by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, but still held 96,999 shares valued at about $46.9 million, making MSFT its fifth-largest position.
• Microsoft continues to attract mostly bullish analyst coverage, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $562.69, even as a few firms have recently lowered ratings or targets.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.27 and revenue of $82.89 billion, both above expectations, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share.

Moran Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,999 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 10,204 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.4% of Moran Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $46,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 51.3% in the second 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 during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter worth $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the third quarter worth $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. TD Cowen raised shares of Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, March 9th. Melius Research set a $430.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $515.00 price objective (down from $630.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $562.69.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft continues to draw bullish analyst commentary, with multiple firms raising or reaffirming price targets after the company’s strong earnings beat and Azure growth, reinforcing the view that core business momentum remains solid.
• Positive Sentiment: New reports suggest Microsoft’s AI ecosystem is still gaining traction, including partner milestones tied to Copilot and AI cloud services, which supports the case for continued enterprise adoption.
• Positive Sentiment: Several hedge funds and asset managers have recently added to Microsoft positions, indicating that some large investors still view MSFT as a long-term AI and cloud leader.
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft partnered with CAISI and AISI to advance AI model testing standards, a policy-and-safety focused update that may help its enterprise credibility but is unlikely to move the stock on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Microsoft is considering adjustments to its renewable-energy targets and offering voluntary retirement packages reflect ongoing cost and infrastructure pressures, but these items are more strategic than immediately material to revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: Market attention is centered on TCI’s reduced stake and the broader “AI anxiety” trade, with investors worried Microsoft may be spending heavily on AI infrastructure before the payoff becomes clearer.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also points to temporary margin pressure from elevated AI and data-center spending, which could weigh on near-term profitability even as growth remains strong.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired 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 directly 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. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT opened at $415.00 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $396.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $445.39.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.46 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 21.67%.

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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