Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Position Lowered by Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd

Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd reduced its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 533,039 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 19,332 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 7.9% of Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $257,788,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. BLVD Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.6% during 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 period. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $3,371,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. ARK & TLK Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Rochester Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 700 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $373.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $402.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $463.92.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 22.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on MSFT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 target price (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price target on Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $588.97.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launched three proprietary AI models (MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, MAI-Image-2) — signals faster, more self‑sufficient AI offerings that reduce dependence on external partners and can accelerate product monetization. Microsoft releases trio of AI models for transcription, voice generation and image creation
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg reports Microsoft has hit Copilot sales goals after a strategy shift — evidence that Copilot commercial traction is improving and could support near‑term revenue/booking growth. Microsoft hits Copilot sales goals after strategy shift – Bloomberg
• Positive Sentiment: Large regional infrastructure commitments — continued investment in Asia (e.g., multi‑billion plans for Singapore and Thailand) to expand cloud/AI capacity and address data‑sovereignty demand, supporting long‑term Azure and cloud revenue potential. What Microsoft (MSFT)’s Asia AI Infrastructure Bet Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and fresh buy coverage (Benchmark, New Street, others) with lofty price targets — reinforces buy‑the‑dip narratives and attracts dip buyers. Microsoft in focus as Benchmark starts with Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Exclusive talks with Chevron/Engine No. 1 on a large Texas power project could secure dedicated energy for AI data centers — strategic but execution‑ and timing‑dependent. Microsoft and Chevron enter exclusivity deal on powering West Texas AI data center complex
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI’s huge funding/valuation debate and broader AI-market dynamics remain relevant to MSFT (partner/competitor ecosystem impacts), but effects are indirect and longer‑term. Is OpenAI’s $1 trillion IPO valuation realistic?
• Negative Sentiment: Billionaire Dan Loeb reduced his Microsoft stake, citing cloud growth and Azure supply concerns — signals some institutional reservations that can weigh on sentiment. Billionaire Investor Reduces Microsoft Stake Amid Cloud Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Microsoft’s recent weak quarter(s) — “worst since 2008” narratives and concerns about elevated AI capex and mixed guidance keep downside risk for sentiment and near‑term multiples. Microsoft Just Had Its Worst Quarter Since 2008–Is This a Generational “Buy” Signal?
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/positioning pressure (breach below long‑term moving averages, some insider/institutional trimming) — raises possibility of further volatility even if fundamentals remain intact. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Breaching 200-Week Moving Average

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).