Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Hilltop National Bank’s Largest Position

Hilltop National Bank increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,750 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,654 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 7.7% of Hilltop National Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $31,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter worth $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the first quarter valued at $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 500.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 59,543,261 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $30,840,432,000 after purchasing an additional 49,618,571 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 49,640.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,905,904,000 after purchasing an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $350,712,742,000 after buying an additional 13,691,572 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. The trade was a 6.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BofA reinstated coverage with a Buy rating and a $500 target, arguing Azure and Copilot momentum justify material upside — a prominent bullish signal for long‑term investors. BofA projects 31% rally
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call‑option volume shows traders are buying at‑the‑money and slightly OTM calls today — a short‑term bullish signal that some investors expect a rebound or are hedging for upside. Investors piling into MSFT calls
• Positive Sentiment: Talent hires for Microsoft’s advanced AI teams (including experienced researchers under Mustafa Suleyman) reinforce MSFT’s long‑term AI capability and product road map. Microsoft hires AI researchers
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft agreed to rent a large Texas data‑center project that Oracle/OpenAI abandoned — this expands capacity but highlights industry competition for sites and local community approval challenges. Microsoft to rent Texas data center
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft President Brad Smith’s comments on investing in nuclear power and building AI guardrails signal long‑term infrastructure and safety focus — supportive for sustainability and compliance, but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Brad Smith on nuclear investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short‑interest entries in feeds show anomalous/zero values (likely data noise) and do not indicate a meaningful rise in shorts today.
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s investor document flagged heavy dependence on Microsoft for funding and compute as a top risk — that disclosure raised concerns about the partnership’s stability and potential revenue recognition or strategic risk. OpenAI flags Microsoft dependence
• Negative Sentiment: News reports and analyst commentary point to a weak near‑term outlook and MSFT hitting new lows, triggering selling pressure as investors reassess near‑term growth vs. rising costs. Microsoft hits new low amid weak outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Melius and other analysts flagged reorganization of Copilot and broader heavy CapEx for AI as execution risks — investors worry monetization of Copilot and the $100–120B+ infrastructure spend will pressure margins before benefits materialize. Melius: Copilot reorg red flag

Microsoft Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $372.74 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $415.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $470.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $392.00 price objective (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.34.

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).