Secure Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Secure Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,291 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises about 1.9% of Secure Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Secure Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 386.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated an Outperform and set a $625 price target, calling MSFT a “core AI winner” — this boosts buy-side conviction that Microsoft will convert AI investments into outsized revenue and supports higher multiple expansion. Wedbush Calls Microsoft (MSFT) a Core AI Winner With $625 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces (Seeking Alpha et al.) argue Microsoft is the “real AI winner in plain sight,” reinforcing the narrative that Azure, Copilot integrations and enterprise lock‑in position MSFT to capture long‑term AI revenue. Microsoft: The Real AI Winner Hiding In Plain Sight
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat highlights Microsoft’s durable switching costs (Office, Azure, identity) and embedded enterprise workflows — a reminder to investors that customer stickiness can protect margins and sustain recurring revenue. Microsoft May Look Pricey, But Customers Can’t Walk Away
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI (which Microsoft backs) appears closer to showing ads in ChatGPT — a potential new revenue lever but uncertain timing/monetization; investors view this as a watch item rather than an immediate earnings driver. OpenAI Is Getting Closer to Showing Ads on ChatGPT
• Neutral Sentiment: Social/quant summaries note strong Azure/AI growth but also heavy FY25 capex and significant insider sales; these data points keep volatility elevated as investors debate growth vs. capital intensity. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Reports question whether Microsoft is “overbuilding” data centers and note Copilot adoption challenges; rising capex and slower-than-expected enterprise adoption could pressure margins and temper near‑term returns. Is Microsoft overbuilding? Microsoft stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) ticks up with mounting concern
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Copilot adoption friction and Nadella stepping in as product overseer raises execution risk headlines — such operational concerns can fuel short‑term selling despite the longer‑term AI story. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella steps up as AI product overseer amid Copilot adoption challenges

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,402,668.08. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. HSBC upped their price objective on Microsoft from $643.00 to $648.00 in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Friday, November 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Microsoft from $637.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $625.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $631.03.

Microsoft Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of MSFT opened at $487.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $497.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $503.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.30 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 25.89%.

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).