Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Cuts Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co trimmed its Microsoft stake by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 23,700 shares and leaving it with 1,139,676 shares valued at about $551.2 million.
• Several Microsoft executives also sold stock, including EVP Kathleen T. Hogan and EVP Amy Coleman, adding to the broader theme of insider selling despite Microsoft’s large institutional ownership base.
• Analysts remain upbeat on Microsoft, with multiple firms reiterating buy ratings and an average price target of $561.20, while the company also reported strong quarterly results and continued to benefit from AI and cloud optimism.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,139,676 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 23,700 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 3.3% of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Microsoft were worth $551,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Microsoft by 27.0% during the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant's stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,658,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% in the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $9,735,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total transaction of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, May 4th. President Capital raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Phillip Securities raised shares of Microsoft to a "buy" rating and set a $485.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Forty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $561.20.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is expected to showcase new AI tools for developers at its Build conference, including software for PCs and the cloud, which could reinforce its lead in enterprise AI and cloud computing. Microsoft expected to showcase new PC, cloud AI tools at developer conference
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI momentum remains a major bullish theme, with reports highlighting Copilot adoption and accelerating Azure growth as key drivers for the stock. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Microsoft, Dell, Thermo Fisher,Village Super Market and Comstock
• Positive Sentiment: Shares rose after Nvidia unveiled an AI-focused PC chip developed with Microsoft, reinforcing optimism around Microsoft’s Windows and AI PC ecosystem. Microsoft, Dell, and HP stocks rise as Nvidia announces new AI chip for personal computers
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are pointing to Microsoft as a top long-term AI beneficiary, with upbeat notes on its cloud franchise and software comeback. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Extends Rally as Analysts Back ‘Compelling Vision of AI Sovereignty’
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft Build 2026 is set to begin, and investors are watching for product announcements that could move the stock further. Dear Microsoft Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 2
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage noted internal employee-sentiment changes and higher performance pressure, but this appears more like a background operating issue than a near-term stock driver. Internal Microsoft employee surveys reveal how sentiment is changing inside the software giant
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern persists around insider selling, which can temper enthusiasm even as the AI narrative improves. Microsoft Stock Analysis: Buy or Sell?

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $460.52 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $403.52 and its 200-day moving average is $433.78. The firm has a market cap of $3.42 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $356.28 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $82.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.46 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 21.67%.

Microsoft Company 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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