Waycross Partners LLC Purchases 4,823 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Waycross Partners LLC increased its Microsoft stake by 3.2% in Q4, buying 4,823 shares to hold 157,180 shares worth about $76.0 million, which represents roughly 6.2% of the firm's holdings and is its third‑largest position.
• Microsoft remains heavily institutionally owned (about 71.13%), with major holders like Vanguard, Norges Bank and UBS holding very large positions, and analysts' consensus ratings at "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $588.97.
• Recent news highlights both upside from AI/OpenAI developments (a reworked OpenAI deal and reported large paper gains) and notable risks, including geopolitical threats to the Stargate project and security research showing potential vulnerabilities in AI agents like Copilot.

Waycross Partners LLC lifted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,180 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 4,823 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 6.2% of Waycross Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Waycross Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $76,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 500.0% during the 3rd 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 worth $30,840,432,000 after buying an additional 49,618,571 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 49,640.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant's stock worth $14,905,904,000 after buying an additional 29,906,791 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Microsoft by 2.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant's stock worth $350,712,742,000 after buying an additional 13,691,572 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reworked OpenAI deal and new AI research direction could accelerate Microsoft’s roadmap and narrow model gaps with competitors, supporting long‑term revenue upside. Microsoft Is on a New AI Journey After Reworked OpenAI Deal
• Positive Sentiment: A leaked OpenAI cap table highlights a large paper gain on Microsoft’s investment (reported ~17x), underscoring potential balance‑sheet/earnings upside tied to OpenAI exposure. OpenAI Cap Table Leak Reveals Microsoft’s 17x Windfall While Sam Altman Holds Zero Equity
• Positive Sentiment: Product strategy: Microsoft is shifting Copilot toward a multi‑model, agentic approach — a move that could improve enterprise adoption and monetization if execution follows. Microsoft Is Going Multi-Model with Copilot. Does the Enterprise King Win Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Channel ecosystem: Ingram Micro earning Microsoft’s “Frontier Distributor” status reinforces partner distribution for Copilot/AI solutions — supportive but indirect to near‑term revenue. Is Ingram Micro (INGM) Using Microsoft’s Frontier Status To Redefine Its AI Distribution Moat?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Pieces arguing for defensive/utility exposure and analysts calling Microsoft a value opportunity explain headline flows but are less likely to drive immediate price moves. Is This ETF the Safest Way to Benefit From AI?
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical/security risk: Iran’s IRGC publicly threatened the $30B “Stargate” AI project backed by OpenAI, Microsoft and Nvidia — a direct risk to infrastructure, project timelines and investor sentiment. Iran’s IRGC Targets $30 Billion Stargate Project Backed by OpenAI, Microsoft, and Nvidia
• Negative Sentiment: Security concerns: A DeepMind paper maps how autonomous agents can be hijacked; tests show successful data exfiltration against Microsoft M365 Copilot — a potential liability for enterprise trust and adoption. Deepmind’s ‘AI Agent Traps’ Paper Maps How Hackers Could Weaponize AI Agents Against Users
• Negative Sentiment: Execution skepticism: Analysis of 84 earnings calls argues Satya Nadella’s AI rhetoric outpaces measurable financial results, feeding short‑term doubts about revenue conversion from AI hype. Microsoft's 84 Earnings Calls Reveal AI Reality Check As Nadella's Words Outpace Results

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $600.00 price target (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $588.97.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $373.46 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.11. The company's 50-day moving average price is $400.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $462.28.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The business's revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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