Northstar Advisory Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Northstar Advisory Group cut its Microsoft stake by 22.7% in Q4, selling 7,256 shares and retaining 24,685 shares worth $11.94 million, with Microsoft representing 4.2% of the firm's portfolio and its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat Q4 estimates, reporting $4.14 EPS vs $3.86 expected and $81.27B revenue (vs. $80.28B), with revenue up 16.7% year-over-year and analysts projecting roughly $13.08 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Institutional activity and valuation: institutional investors own 71.13% of MSFT with large funds (e.g., Norges Bank, Nuveen, UBS, Northern Trust) adding positions; Microsoft has a $2.77 trillion market cap, a P/E of 23.33, and announced a $0.91 quarterly dividend (1.0% yield).

Northstar Advisory Group LLC decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,685 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 7,256 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 4.2% of Northstar Advisory Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Northstar Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the first quarter valued at $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 500.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 59,543,261 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $30,840,432,000 after acquiring an additional 49,618,571 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 49,640.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $14,905,904,000 after acquiring an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Microsoft by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $35,316,535,000 after acquiring an additional 11,600,470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $373.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $355.67 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $393.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $459.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MSFT. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $600.00 price objective (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Microsoft from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $641.00 price objective (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.97.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded marketing tie-up with Publicis strengthens Microsoft’s positioning in AI-driven advertising and marketing workflows, supporting revenue potential outside core cloud products. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is rolling out enterprise AI infrastructure and governance (Agent 365 launch partners like Reply), which helps convert enterprise demand for managed AI agents into repeatable revenue. This is a strategic enterprise sales lever for Azure and services. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: M12-backed RAAPID investment (healthcare AI) highlights Microsoft’s ecosystem play and could widen Azure/Microsoft Health adoption in a regulated vertical. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s large backlog / remaining performance obligations (RPO) — cited above $625B in coverage — gives revenue visibility that could offset short-term margin pressure from capex. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming April earnings release date (Q3 FY26) focuses investors on guidance and capex cadence — a scheduled catalyst that could swing sentiment either way. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market concerns about sharply higher capital expenditures for AI infrastructure and faster-than-expected competition (Google/Anthropic) are pressuring margins and valuation multiples. Coverage highlights a “Copilot code red” overhaul and investor fear that AI buildout costs will persist. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wave of senior departures raises execution and talent-retention concerns at a sensitive time for product rollouts. Investor nervousness on leadership stability amplifies sell-pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader tech sell-off, geopolitical risk (Middle East) and headlines about developer/service disruptions (e.g., VeraCrypt account lock) are worsening sentiment and liquidity for big-cap tech stocks like MSFT. Read More. • Read More.

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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