Jackson Square Capital LLC Purchases 6,397 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Jackson Square Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 16.5% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,126 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,397 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 5.1% of Jackson Square Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Jackson Square Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $23,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Bulwark Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 386.7% during the second quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in Microsoft in the second quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $630.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Rothschild Redb cut Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Mizuho downgraded Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $631.03.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $487.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $497.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $503.31. The firm has a market cap of $3.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.40. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 25.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872. Corporate 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: Wedbush reiterated an Outperform and set a $625 price target, calling MSFT a “core AI winner” — this boosts buy-side conviction that Microsoft will convert AI investments into outsized revenue and supports higher multiple expansion. Wedbush Calls Microsoft (MSFT) a Core AI Winner With $625 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces (Seeking Alpha et al.) argue Microsoft is the “real AI winner in plain sight,” reinforcing the narrative that Azure, Copilot integrations and enterprise lock‑in position MSFT to capture long‑term AI revenue. Microsoft: The Real AI Winner Hiding In Plain Sight
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat highlights Microsoft’s durable switching costs (Office, Azure, identity) and embedded enterprise workflows — a reminder to investors that customer stickiness can protect margins and sustain recurring revenue. Microsoft May Look Pricey, But Customers Can’t Walk Away
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI (which Microsoft backs) appears closer to showing ads in ChatGPT — a potential new revenue lever but uncertain timing/monetization; investors view this as a watch item rather than an immediate earnings driver. OpenAI Is Getting Closer to Showing Ads on ChatGPT
• Neutral Sentiment: Social/quant summaries note strong Azure/AI growth but also heavy FY25 capex and significant insider sales; these data points keep volatility elevated as investors debate growth vs. capital intensity. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Reports question whether Microsoft is “overbuilding” data centers and note Copilot adoption challenges; rising capex and slower-than-expected enterprise adoption could pressure margins and temper near‑term returns. Is Microsoft overbuilding? Microsoft stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) ticks up with mounting concern
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Copilot adoption friction and Nadella stepping in as product overseer raises execution risk headlines — such operational concerns can fuel short‑term selling despite the longer‑term AI story. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella steps up as AI product overseer amid Copilot adoption challenges

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).