Welch Financial Planning LLC Acquires New Shares in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Welch Financial Planning LLC disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Microsoft, buying 2,013 shares valued at about $974,000. Microsoft now makes up roughly 0.7% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Several Microsoft executives sold shares recently, including EVP Kathleen T. Hogan and EVP Amy Coleman. The filings show ongoing insider selling, though corporate insiders still own only about 0.03% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on MSFT, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $561.20. The company also beat quarterly earnings expectations and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.91 per share.

Welch Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,013 shares of the software giant's stock, valued at approximately $974,000. Microsoft comprises about 0.7% of Welch Financial Planning LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BLVD Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the third quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,641,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,371,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% in the third quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the third quarter. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 700 shares of the software giant's stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Citizens Jmp started coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Monday. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $550.00 price target for the company. DZ Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Microsoft from $675.00 to $575.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut their price objective on Microsoft from $678.00 to $573.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Forty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $561.20.

Microsoft News Summary

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 Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of MSFT opened at $460.52 on Tuesday. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $403.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $433.78.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.06 by $0.21. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The firm had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.46 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft's dividend 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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