Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 387,190 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,140 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 8.5% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $200,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 342 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.7% during the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,761 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,373,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% in the second quarter. Onyx Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,108 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,536,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its stake in Microsoft by 1.6% in the second quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on MSFT shares. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. HSBC lowered their price target on Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $540.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft clarified Copilot user and monetization details, reducing uncertainty about one of its key AI revenue drivers — this helped the stock rebound after recent weakness. Microsoft Fills in Gaps on Copilot Numbers, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh optimism around OpenAI’s improving finances is lifting AI-linked names (including Microsoft, a major OpenAI backer), supporting sentiment for MSFT shares. AI Giant OpenAI Is Getting a Lift Lately. So Are Stocks Linked to It.
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is exploring superconducting power lines for data centers, a potential efficiency win that could lower long‑term operating costs as it scales cloud capacity for AI workloads. Microsoft exploring using advanced power lines to make data centers more energy-efficient
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Diamond Hill Capital increased its MSFT stake, a sign of continued conviction from some long‑term investors. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, the recent bounce is constructive but analysts warn MSFT needs to reclaim its 200‑day moving average before a sustained uptrend resumes — short-term resistance remains. Microsoft is Bouncing Back from Its Post-Earnings Price Crash, But Watch This Before You Buy MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT to Hold, flagging elevated AI capex and cash‑flow risks tied to aggressive AI infrastructure spending — a direct near‑term headwind for valuation. Stock Market Today, Feb. 10: Microsoft Stock Slips on Melius Downgrade Over AI Spending Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns persist: commentators point to below‑expectations Azure growth and say Microsoft needs to better articulate its AI investment payback, contributing to caution among some investors and analysts. Jim Cramer on Microsoft (MSFT): “I Think They Need to Explain Their Story Better”

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $413.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $465.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $494.72.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect 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, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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).