Winthrop Advisory Group LLC Buys 1,276 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Key Points

• Winthrop Advisory Group LLC raised its Microsoft stake by 3.3%, buying 1,276 shares to own 39,675 shares valued at $19,187,000, about 1.6% of its portfolio and its 14th largest holding.
• Insider activity: Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares at $397.35, while EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares at $409.52, modestly changing their ownership levels.
• Broader context: Microsoft is integrating Anthropic’s Claude Mythos into its security development lifecycle and cut Game Pass prices—supporting bullish analyst sentiment (consensus target ~$576.66)—but also faces a potential $2.8 billion UK lawsuit, creating both upside and legal headline risk.

Winthrop Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,675 shares of the software giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,276 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 1.6% of Winthrop Advisory Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $19,187,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. DMC Group LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. DMC Group LLC now owns 9,933 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $4,804,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. South Shore Capital Advisors bought a new position in Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $6,326,000. Rydar Equities Inc. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Rydar Equities Inc. now owns 10,830 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $5,238,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,701 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $6,142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mason & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Mason & Associates LLC now owns 453 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft said it will embed Anthropic’s Claude Mythos into its secure development lifecycle (Project Glasswing) to find and mitigate vulnerabilities earlier — a move that strengthens Microsoft’s AI-security offering and underpins enterprise trust in Azure and dev tools. Microsoft to integrate Anthropic's Mythos into its security development program
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing remains strong: KeyBanc reiterated an Overweight rating (with a $600 target) and other firms continue to publish high price targets, supporting upside expectations into earnings. Is Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) a Top AI Play on Azure Growth and Memory Supply Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft cut Xbox Game Pass prices (and reshaped Call of Duty access) to win back gamers — a consumer-facing move that may boost subscription growth and engagement, and has been received positively by the market. Microsoft cuts Game Pass subscription prices after new Xbox CEO promises to 'recommit' to gamers
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights Microsoft’s push to be the “agentic AI internet” backbone — messaging that fuels investor optimism around Azure and platform monetization. “We Do Not Have Conflicting Interests….” Microsoft Stock NASDAQ: MSFT Gains on New Plan to be the Agentic AI Internet’s Backbone
• Neutral Sentiment: LinkedIn promoted longtime COO Daniel Shapero to CEO while Ryan Roslansky takes a broader Microsoft role — an orderly internal transition that reduces execution risk but is unlikely to move core financials in the near term. LinkedIn’s CEO is moving on; please hold your tearful video tributes
• Negative Sentiment: A U.K. tribunal ruled Microsoft must face a mass $2.8 billion lawsuit alleging overcharging on cloud licences — a large headline risk that could pressure sentiment and create legal/legal-cost uncertainty. Microsoft must face $2.8 billion UK lawsuit over cloud computing licences
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary (e.g., “Code Red” pieces) suggests some investors worry Microsoft is losing momentum in parts of the AI race — such narratives can amplify short-term selling pressure ahead of earnings. Microsoft’s Code Red Is Real: Can It Keep Up in the AI Race?

Microsoft Stock Up 2.1%

MSFT stock opened at $432.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $3.21 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07, a PEG ratio of 1.60 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $392.73 and a 200-day moving average of $452.09.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on Microsoft from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Microsoft from $600.00 to $510.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wedbush decreased their target price on Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Microsoft from $540.00 to $500.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $576.66.

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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