WestEnd Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,406 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,691 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 1.2% of WestEnd Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $52,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,493,678,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 564,387.1% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 90,549,369 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $45,040,162,000 after purchasing an additional 90,533,328 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the first quarter worth approximately $18,733,827,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 29,906,791 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 13,691,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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 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. The trade was a 4.86% 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, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 461,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $454.52 on Wednesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.38 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $481.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $502.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $75.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.30 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.89%.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman/Tipranks coverage highlights a maintained Buy view as AI and cloud growth are seen offsetting structurally higher power costs; analyst support helps underpin investor confidence. Microsoft: Maintaining a Buy Rating as AI and Cloud Growth Offset Structurally Higher Power Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft landed a strategic healthcare AI deal with Bristol Myers Squibb to accelerate early lung cancer detection — a commercial win that showcases Azure/AI monetization beyond core enterprise workloads. Bristol Myers partners with Microsoft for AI-driven lung cancer detection
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and marketing upside: Microsoft will unveil a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team — a high‑profile tie that can boost enterprise and consumer visibility for Microsoft’s cloud/AI offerings. Microsoft clicks on Formula One grid with new Mercedes deal
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI (backed by Microsoft) reportedly hit ~$20B revenue in 2025 — evidence of strong downstream demand for models and a tailwind for Microsoft’s AI services and strategic stake. Microsoft-Backed OpenAI Hits $20B Revenue Target in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is pushing to lower data‑center energy use — a long‑term margin and PR positive, but benefits are gradual and won’t immediately offset 2025–2026 AI capex pressures. Microsoft Wants to Lower Data Center Energy Use. Does That Help the Bull Case for MSFT Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry energy solutions continue to surface (e.g., Alibaba joining a nuclear‑power push) — a sign that hyperscalers are seeking large‑scale energy fixes but such infrastructure shifts take years to affect margins. Alibaba Joins Microsoft, Meta In Nuclear Power Push For AI
• Negative Sentiment: Market skeptics: Michael Burry warned the AI sector could be in a bubble that government intervention won’t save — broad negative sentiment that can amplify selloffs in large AI‑exposed names like Microsoft. Michael Burry Warns Government Intervention Won’t Stop AI Bubble Burst
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term cloud concerns: coverage and market notes point to reported Azure growth/forward guidance that disappointed some investors, and a recent TD Cowen price‑target trim reduced perceived near‑term upside. Microsoft (MSFT) Traded Lower as Its Reported Azure Cloud Growth and Forward Guidance Fell Short of Expectations

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $682.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Microsoft from $637.00 to $645.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Cowen set a $625.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $625.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Microsoft from $700.00 to $665.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $628.95.

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).