Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital lessened its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 110,319 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,417 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 1.9% of Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $53,336,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth about $18,733,827,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 500.0% in 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 worth $30,840,432,000 after buying an additional 49,618,571 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Microsoft by 49,640.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $350,712,742,000 after acquiring an additional 13,691,572 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup cut their target price on Microsoft from $660.00 to $635.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $588.97.

Microsoft Stock Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $365.97 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $2.72 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $411.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $468.63. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure strength, strategic partnerships and select analyst bullishness support long‑term upside: Microsoft’s cloud and AI backbone (Azure) remains a growth engine, and recent partnership news (AI + nuclear initiatives) and new datacenter expansions underline durable enterprise demand. Microsoft–Nvidia Nuclear Push Sparks ETF Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Support from big banks and some analysts: Bank of America reiterated bullish case (cites significant upside) and UBS kept a Buy rating even while trimming its target — these institutional views can stabilize demand for the stock. Bank of America Sees 30% Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow shows some investors positioning for a rebound — elevated call buying can signal speculative optimism but doesn’t guarantee a directional move. Monitor open interest and strike concentration for conviction. Investors are Piling into Microsoft Call Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Market strategy pieces position MSFT as a defensive/quality tech holding — useful context for long‑term investors, but not an immediate catalyst. A Q2 2026 Playbook for Navigating Market Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI flagged its dependence on Microsoft as a material risk in fundraising documents — that reciprocal reliance raises execution risk and investor unease about the partnership’s durability. OpenAI Lists Dependence on Microsoft as a ‘Risk’
• Negative Sentiment: UBS and other outlets cite weak adoption/retention for Microsoft 365 Copilot and flagged narratives need to improve — that has driven price‑target cuts and investor skepticism about near‑term AI monetization. Microsoft 365, Copilot narratives need to improve for stock to move higher: UBS
• Negative Sentiment: Internal cost moves and execution signals: reports that Microsoft has paused hiring in major cloud and North American sales groups and is retooling HR raise concerns about near‑term execution and signaling of tougher times ahead. Microsoft freezes hiring in major cloud, sales groups
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and sector sell‑off: geopolitical risk and broad tech downdrafts have amplified MSFT’s decline (tech leadership stocks are breaking down), feeding momentum selling. Dow Jones Futures Rise On Trump Pause After ‘Serious’ Sell-Off

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).