Northwest Financial Advisors Sells 1,259 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Northwest Financial Advisors reduced its Microsoft stake by 53.9%, selling 1,259 shares and leaving 1,076 shares worth about $521,000 (Microsoft is ~1.1% of the firm's holdings and its 26th largest position).
• Microsoft posted a beat for the quarter (EPS $4.27 vs. $4.06; revenue $82.89B, up 18.3% YoY), has a $3.08 trillion market cap, and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $562.44.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 (ex-dividend May 21, pay June 11) and faces mixed headlines — strong AI/cloud momentum and analyst target raises, but rising capex, potential clean‑energy goal delays and competitive/regulatory risks that could pressure margins.

Northwest Financial Advisors lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 53.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,076 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,259 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 1.1% of Northwest Financial Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Northwest Financial Advisors' holdings in Microsoft were worth $521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Norges Bank bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth approximately $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 500.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 49,618,571 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Microsoft by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant's stock worth $35,316,535,000 after buying an additional 11,600,470 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $414.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.28. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $356.28 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $396.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $446.04.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.34% and a return on equity of 31.94%. The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.72 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $615.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $620.00 to $515.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Microsoft from $580.00 to $510.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Melius Research set a $430.00 target price on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $562.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent results and AI/cloud momentum: Microsoft reported another quarter of strong cloud and AI-driven revenue growth (Q3 revenue up ~18%) and continued order‑book strength — underpinning the bull case for durable top-line expansion. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift: Some firms have raised targets (Arete bumped its target sharply), signaling that a portion of Wall Street sees upside from MSFT’s AI investments despite the pullback. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Xbox cost/strategy move: Xbox leadership stopped development of the console Copilot project — a move investors interpreted as removing a costly distraction and focusing resources on higher‑return AI/cloud work. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Government AI oversight: Microsoft agreed to give U.S. agencies early access to new models for national‑security testing — reduces regulatory uncertainty but also adds compliance scrutiny. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Workforce buyouts announced: The company launched a major voluntary buyout program — lowers near‑term opex but risks losing institutional knowledge that could matter for complex AI projects. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Clean‑energy target under review: Reports say Microsoft may delay or abandon its hourly 2030 clean‑energy matching goal because rapid AI data‑center growth is increasing power demand — this raises potential operating costs, reputational risk and regulatory scrutiny. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher capex and margin pressure: Microsoft’s 2026 capex plan has risen sharply (reports ~23% above expectations, large multiyear AI/data‑center spending) — supports growth but increases near‑term cash outflows and could compress margins. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/regulatory headwinds: Pentagon awarded a $500M AI contract to a Meta‑backed Scale AI, and other competitors are landing meaningful deals — reminders that Microsoft faces fast‑moving competition for AI infrastructure and government business. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst notes and trims: Some boutiques trimmed price targets despite beats, reflecting concerns that the market is pricing in AI costs rather than returns; this keeps downward pressure from more cautious investors. 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).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.