SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 6,468,645 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Microsoft by 2,332.1%, buying 6,468,645 shares in Q4 to hold 6,746,017 shares (worth about $3.26 billion), making MSFT its fourth-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $4.14 (vs. $3.86) and revenue of $81.27 billion, announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 ($3.64 annual, ~1.0% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $589.

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2,332.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,746,017 shares of the software giant's stock after purchasing an additional 6,468,645 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 4.2% of SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Microsoft worth $3,262,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT stock opened at $356.77 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $409.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $467.20. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. New Street Research boosted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $588.97.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director 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. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some Wall Street analysts still see large upside for MSFT, arguing the pullback may be overdone and presenting a buying opportunity for long‑term investors. Wall Street Says Microsoft Stock Has 89% Rebound Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental revenue drivers remain: LinkedIn ad growth and marketing solutions are cited as near‑term revenue positives that help offset AI spending concerns. Microsoft Benefits From LinkedIn Ad Growth: More Upside Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft has implemented targeted hiring freezes in major cloud and North American sales groups while keeping AI and engineering hiring active — a cost‑management move that highlights prioritization of AI infrastructure but leaves uncertainty over near‑term sales execution. Microsoft freezes hiring in major cloud, sales groups, The Information reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure expansion continues: third‑party partner Crusoe announced a 900 MW AI campus in Abilene, Texas to support large‑scale workloads for Microsoft — this reinforces demand for hyperscale capacity even as investors debate ROI timing. Crusoe Announces New 900 MW AI Factory Campus in Abilene, Texas to Support Microsoft AI Infrastructure
• Negative Sentiment: Market narrative has flipped: analysts and commentary say Microsoft is “losing the AI narrative,” and technical indicators show the stock at decade‑low oversold levels — fueling momentum selling. Microsoft’s stock hasn’t been this oversold in a decade, with the tech giant ‘really losing the AI narrative’
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy AI capex and execution concerns: multiple reports highlight Microsoft’s very large AI spending (reports cite ~$30B per quarter-level scale), slowing Copilot adoption vs. expectations, and the stock is on track for its worst quarter since 2008 — pressuring valuations and near‑term sentiment. Microsoft Is Down 24% This Year While Spending $30B a Quarter on AI
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and strategic risks are rising: OpenAI and other AI firms (including reports of Anthropic eyeing an IPO) are evolving relationships and competition that could reduce Microsoft’s exclusive leverage in parts of the AI stack. Anthropic eyes IPO, Microsoft stock set for worst quarter since 2008

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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