Westwood Wealth Management Sells 21,840 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Westwood Wealth Management cut its stake in Microsoft by 87.7% in Q4, selling 21,840 shares and leaving it with 3,057 shares valued at about $1,479,000, representing roughly 1.1% of the firm's holdings.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares at about $397.35, while EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares at about $409.52; insiders own roughly 0.03% of the stock.
• Analysts hold a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a mean target of $577.58 amid positive AI execution and large partnership wins but also capacity and valuation risks; Microsoft also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 (yield ~0.9%, ex-div May 21).

Westwood Wealth Management cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 87.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,057 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 21,840 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for about 1.1% of Westwood Wealth Management's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Westwood Wealth Management's holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $577.58.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fairwater AI data center in Wisconsin went live ahead of schedule, a tangible execution win that eases near‑term capacity concerns and signals Microsoft is accelerating AI infrastructure deployment — a direct positive for Azure AI revenue prospects. Microsoft stock jumps as AI data center goes live
• Positive Sentiment: Large enterprise partnerships and marketplace integrations broaden Azure adoption: Stellantis signed a five‑year AI/cloud deal and Expert.ai’s EidenAI Suite is now on Azure Marketplace — both expand addressable enterprise demand for Microsoft’s cloud + Copilot stack. Stellantis, Microsoft sign five-year partnership Expert.ai and Microsoft Italy announce collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Government and regulatory adoption — the CFTC is using Microsoft Copilot/AI tools for surveillance, a sign that public‑sector adoption of Microsoft AI products is rising and provides a durable revenue cohort. CFTC Uses Microsoft AI Tools
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed: TD Cowen lowered its price target to $540 but kept a Buy rating (maintains bullish long‑term view despite trimming upside), while other firms have grown cautious — watch revisions for near‑term momentum. TD Cowen price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/earnings calendar: investors are watching fiscal Q3 results (Apr 29) for signs AI spend is translating into accelerating Azure revenue and Copilot monetization; near‑term volatility could persist into the print. Microsoft eyes AI execution, Azure growth
• Negative Sentiment: Industry capacity risk: Financial Times reports delays on a sizeable share of U.S. data‑center builds (affecting multiple players), underscoring supply‑chain and permitting risks that could constrain AI rollout timing and margin recovery. Data centre delays threaten to choke AI expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary and downside scenarios remain: some analysts and opinion pieces argue MSFT still faces near‑term growth/valuation risks (including calls for deeper corrections), so rallies could be met with profit‑taking until clearer proof of AI monetization appears. Microsoft: Don't Buy The Dip

Microsoft Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $422.79 on Friday. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $391.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $454.04. The company has a market cap of $3.14 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $355.67 and a 12-month high of $555.45.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

About Microsoft

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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