Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s 3rd Largest Position

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 738,517 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 24,759 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 3.3% of Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $382,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. grew its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% in the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $5,658,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 410.4% in the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $9,735,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterates a bullish view on Microsoft, naming MSFT its leading AI investment and assigning a $675 price target — a vote of confidence that supports upside for the stock. Jefferies Names Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Its Leading AI Investment With $675 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed an AI collaboration with Codelco (Chile’s state miner) to evaluate AI, automation and analytics for mining — another enterprise win that strengthens Azure/Microsoft AI cash flows over time. Codelco, Microsoft sign AI deal for mining operations
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI’s large funding round and continued strategic ties give Microsoft breathing room around its AI investments and partnerships, reducing near-term partnership tail-risk. OpenAI Funding Gives Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Breathing Space
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft says it will continue integrating Anthropic’s Claude into products despite the Pentagon labeling Anthropic a “supply chain risk” — continuity for product roadmaps but with some government-contract uncertainty. Microsoft (MSFT) Maintains Anthropic Claude Integration Despite Pentagon Supply Chain Ban
• Neutral Sentiment: Google and Microsoft both said Anthropic remains available for non-defense projects, which limits immediate disruption but keeps regulatory headlines in play. Google joins Microsoft in telling users Anthropic is still available outside defense projects
• Neutral Sentiment: Options strategists and some investors view the pullback as a buying opportunity (protective collar strategies highlighted), indicating increased interest from longer-term/hedged buyers even amid volatility. Trade the Deep Value and Dubious Option Pricing in Microsoft Stock with This 1 Great Options Strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators flag downside risk before MSFT can justify very high targets — concerns center on heavy AI-related capex, moderating Azure growth and margin pressure despite long-term upside. That debate is creating selling pressure and volatility. Buy the Dip or Wait? Analyst Flags Downside Risk Before $680 Breakout In Microsoft (MSFT) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Japan’s antitrust probe into Microsoft’s cloud/software practices adds regional legal uncertainty that could weigh on valuation multiple or deal activity in Asia. Microsoft Faces Japan Antitrust Probe As Gaming Shifts And AI Deals Grow
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressures — rising yields, higher energy prices and sector rotation — are pulling down high-multiple software names; Microsoft’s heavy AI spend makes it more sensitive to sentiment swings despite strong fundamentals. How Microsoft Stock Falls To $325?

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on MSFT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $590.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 price target (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $591.95.

Microsoft Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $408.96 on Friday. 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 $3.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $435.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $479.57.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Company 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).