Nordea Investment Management AB Grows Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Nordea Investment Management AB raised its Microsoft stake to 14,161,997 shares (adding 8,849 shares), making MSFT its second-largest holding and representing about 0.19% of Microsoft worth roughly $7.32 billion while comprising ~6.4% of Nordea’s portfolio.
• Microsoft beat quarterly estimates (EPS $4.14 vs. $3.86; revenue $81.27B vs. $80.28B) but the stock sold off after the quarter on slowing Azure growth and higher AI capex; analysts still rate MSFT a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $597.73.
• Insider sales by CEO Judson Althoff (12,750 shares, ~$6.27M) and EVP Takeshi Numoto (2,850 shares, ~$1.36M) reduced their holdings, and Microsoft announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend Feb 19, paid Mar 12).

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,161,997 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 8,849 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 6.4% of Nordea Investment Management AB's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Nordea Investment Management AB owned approximately 0.19% of Microsoft worth $7,316,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IRON Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 23.2% in the third quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 6,510 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $3,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Wellington Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $9,941,000. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant's stock worth $46,816,000 after buying an additional 2,373 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 922,524 shares of the software giant's stock worth $457,119,000 after buying an additional 33,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 14.0% during the third quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 18,340 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,499,000 after buying an additional 2,247 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild Redb downgraded shares of Microsoft from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $597.73.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and upgrades: several outlets and analysts have reiterated buy/overweight ratings and lofty price targets (median ~$600), and some investors and commentators view the pullback as an attractive entry after the drop. This supports the thesis that long‑term growth expectations remain intact. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgrades: bullish write‑ups argue MSFT is now the “cheapest” of the Magnificent Seven and recommend buying into the weakness — a narrative that can attract value buyers and stabilize price. Microsoft: It Becomes The Cheapest Stock In The Magnificent 7 (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Perplexity investment: coverage of Microsoft’s ~$750M deal/relationship with Perplexity highlights another pathway to monetize AI and expand Azure usage — a constructive catalyst if it boosts consumption without eroding margins. Following a $750 Million Deal with Perplexity, Is Microsoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: How Microsoft is scaling AI: coverage explains the company’s long‑term AI strategy (Azure, OpenAI ties, product integrations). This is background positive for structural growth, but it doesn’t immediately resolve near‑term margin/capex concerns. How Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Is Scaling AI Into Its Next Growth Engine
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/put strategies: some commentators argue the share price and implied volatility make selling short‑dated puts an attractive income play — a sign traders see limited immediate downside or want to get long at discounts. This is a market‑structure reaction rather than company fundamentals. Shorting Microsoft Puts Looks Very Attractive To Value Investors In MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings fallout and AI capex worries: social and analyst reaction centers on a >10% selloff after the quarter — despite revenue/earnings beats — because Azure growth decelerated and management signaled moderated guidance while AI capex spiked (publicized multibillion AI spending). That mismatch (big spending vs. near‑term returns) is the main reason the stock is lower. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/product issues: reports of a resurfacing hibernation bug and unexpected Xbox permabans have created negative headlines this morning — small on their own but contributing to the negative sentiment mix. Microsoft Stock Falters on Hibernation Fix Flop, Unexpected Xbox Permaban
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales & heavy options volume: recent disclosures show substantial insider selling by senior executives and unusually high options activity — signals some stakeholders are taking chips off the table, which can weigh on sentiment even if strategic. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Earnings Reaction

Microsoft Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $423.37 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $474.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.00. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $3.14 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The company's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect 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, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

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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