1,651 Shares in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Purchased by VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC

VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,651 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $855,000. Microsoft comprises 0.7% of VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Microsoft by 2.0% during 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 last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $148,823,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,166,275 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $88,714,256,000 after acquiring an additional 3,532,054 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $50,493,678,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Microsoft by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $35,316,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,600,470 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $586.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at $63,577,620.48. This represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the purchase, the director 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $397.23 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $452.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $487.79.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft elevates AI inside gaming — Phil Spencer retires and Asha Sharma (from CoreAI) will lead Microsoft Gaming, signaling tighter integration of CoreAI technology into Xbox products and services, which could expand monetization paths for Copilot/AI features across a large consumer base. Microsoft Gaming Leadership Shift Puts AI At The Center For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Azure ecosystem win — Reltio’s Data Cloud earned Azure Certified Software status, reinforcing partner validation for Azure security/performance and supporting Azure adoption for enterprise AI data workflows. This is incremental positive evidence of continued Azure demand. Reltio Achieves Microsoft Azure Certification, Accelerating Trusted Data Delivery for Enterprise AI and Digital Transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party cloud demand signals — IREN’s pivot to AI cloud includes a reported multi‑billion deal with Microsoft, highlighting strong customer demand for high‑density AI capacity, though revenue impact to Microsoft isn’t detailed. IREN Repositions From Bitcoin To AI Cloud As Institutions Step In
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst and hedge‑fund commentary — recent pieces offer both buy‑the‑dip narratives and skeptical takes on valuation and Copilot adoption; hedge funds are issuing contrasting calls, contributing to volatility rather than a clear directional signal. Hedge funds make contrasting calls on Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: Azure supply constraints flagged — Stifel warns that Azure capacity limits could act as a near‑term growth headwind, implying revenue timing risks for cloud growth and pressuring sentiment. Stifel Flags Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Azure Supply Constraints as Near-Term Growth Headwind
• Negative Sentiment: Rotation away from mega‑cap AI names — analysts note the AI rally is broadening beyond the Magnificent Seven and money is shifting into cyclical/“halo” stocks; commentary suggests Broadcom could overtake Microsoft on cash‑flow metrics, adding competitive and rotation pressure. AI Rally Expands Beyond ‘Exhausted’ Mag7, Analysts Say—See Broadcom Overtaking Microsoft In Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Sector weakness and valuation concerns — multiple outlets report a software‑stock selloff and debate whether Microsoft deserves a decade‑low multiple amid slow Copilot monetization and macro/AI disruption fears, which is weighing on the stock. Software stocks are sliding. Is it time to ‘buy the dip’?

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).