Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Reduces Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,621,219 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 84,017 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 3.3% of Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $784,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Bernzott Capital Advisors bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 287.0% in the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Microsoft in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Microsoft from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Dbs Bank lowered their target price on Microsoft from $678.00 to $573.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $505.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Arete Research increased their target price on Microsoft from $730.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Forty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $561.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.99, for a total transaction of $7,145,345.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,928,792.23. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $412.45, for a total value of $1,031,125.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 51,968 shares in the company, valued at $21,434,201.60. This represents a 4.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 19,262 shares of company stock valued at $8,695,581 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $397.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $356.28 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $410.24 and its 200-day moving average is $429.80.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.67%.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft continues to win business tied to AI infrastructure, including a new 260 MW solar supply deal for Microsoft’s power needs and fresh coverage highlighting strong Azure/AI demand, which supports the long-term cloud growth story. MN8 Energy Delivers 260 MW of Solar to Microsoft Across Two U.S. Power Markets
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, reinforcing shareholder returns and signaling financial strength. Microsoft announces quarterly dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles remain constructive on Microsoft’s AI strategy, arguing the stock is still a long-term buying opportunity as it expands agentic AI and Copilot across the enterprise. Microsoft Remains A Generational Buying Opportunity In The Agentic AI Era
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella’s comments about using the right AI model for the job may help efficiency, but they also underscore Microsoft’s effort to control rising AI compute costs. Satya Nadella Warns Against AI Overuse
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s limits on Anthropic’s Claude usage and the scrutiny around AI data-retention policies point to tighter governance around third-party AI tools, but the direct financial impact looks limited for now. Microsoft limits employee use of Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Xbox is preparing major layoffs and a reset, plus broader gaming margin pressure, add to concerns about cost discipline and slower growth in that segment. Microsoft’s Xbox plans for major layoffs next month
• Negative Sentiment: News that Microsoft is cutting jobs in its Azure unit in China and broader warnings that the AI buildout may be less relentless than expected could weigh on sentiment around near-term AI spending and execution. Microsoft lays off hundreds from Azure unit in China
• Negative Sentiment: Separate commentary about AI data-center math “showing cracks” and rising opportunity cost suggests investors are becoming more cautious about how quickly Microsoft’s heavy AI investments can translate into profit. Wall Street’s $800 Billion AI Data Center Bet Is Showing Cracks

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).