WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. increased its Microsoft stake by 9.1% to 19,401 shares (worth $9.383 million), making MSFT about 2.8% of the fund and its 14th-largest holding.
• Microsoft beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $4.14 versus $3.86 and revenue of $81.27 billion versus $80.28 billion, with revenue up 16.7% year‑over‑year and a market cap of about $3.15 trillion (P/E 26.55).
• Near-term sentiment is mixed: Microsoft announced a $18B investment in Australian AI/cloud infrastructure and drew a new long from Michael Burry (positive), but a voluntary buyout (~7% of U.S. staff) and concerns over AI capex/OpenAI dependence have raised short-term uncertainty.

WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,401 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,620 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 2.8% of WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Microsoft were worth $9,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 1,298,495 shares of the software giant's stock worth $627,978,000 after acquiring an additional 338,290 shares during the last quarter. Cache Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Cache Advisors LLC now owns 62,761 shares of the software giant's stock worth $30,352,000 after acquiring an additional 6,714 shares during the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 14,436 shares of the software giant's stock worth $6,982,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth about $9,565,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,564 shares of the software giant's stock worth $5,109,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $424.54 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $3.15 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $356.28 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $393.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $450.61.

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 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 return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.Microsoft's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft announced a roughly $18B investment in Australia to expand Azure AI supercomputing, cloud capacity, cybersecurity and upskilling — a major long‑term revenue and capacity commitment that supports the AI growth narrative. Microsoft to invest $18B in Australia to expand AI, cloud and digital infrastructure
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile investor Michael Burry disclosed a new long position in MSFT, signaling conviction from a value‑oriented, headline‑driving buyer — this can attract other investors looking for a contrarian entry. Big Short Investor Michael Burry Opens New Position in Microsoft Stock (MSFT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat: Jefferies reaffirmed a Buy and other firms (Guggenheim, TD Cowen) have high price targets or bullish notes citing Copilot/Azure monetization, supporting upside sentiment into earnings. Jefferies gives a buy rating on Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Gaming/product signals: Xbox branding returned and leaked details of a cheaper Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition have lifted expectations for consumer engagement and subscription growth. Microsoft Gaming reverts to Xbox branding as part of new mission statement
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst: Microsoft reports fiscal Q3 results on April 29 — earnings will likely drive larger intraday moves as investors look for Azure growth, Copilot adoption and AI capex conversion. Microsoft Will Report Q3 Earnings on April 29
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: Tech sector strength and broader AI‑led optimism are supporting MSFT alongside peers; short‑interest data in the feed is not meaningful (reported 0 shares). Sector Update: Tech Stocks Gain Late Afternoon
• Negative Sentiment: Cost/structure concerns: Microsoft launched its first‑ever voluntary buyout program (~7% of U.S. workforce) as it reshapes for AI — while aimed at efficiency, the move and public discussion of heavy AI capex have pressured sentiment and raised near‑term uncertainty. Microsoft plans first voluntary employee buyout in company's 51-year history
• Negative Sentiment: Investor worry over AI capital intensity and OpenAI dependence persists in commentary and some sell‑side notes, which could keep volatility elevated into earnings despite long‑term upside. Microsoft Is A Value Trap, OpenAI Dependence Could Backfire

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft 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 approximately $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday. Wedbush dropped their target price on Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Microsoft from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $575.34.

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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