Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Decreases Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. cut its stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 105,822 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,264 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 9.8% of Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $54,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the first quarter worth about $18,733,827,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 49,640.3% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $14,905,904,000 after purchasing an additional 29,906,791 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $350,712,742,000 after purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 16.1% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.3%

MSFT opened at $405.20 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $438.52 and a 200 day moving average of $481.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $344.79 and a 12 month high of $555.45. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 target price (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $650.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, New Street Research lifted their target price on Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued 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 $591.95.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 directly 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broadcom’s strong revenue outlook and commentary that AI semiconductor demand is accelerating reinforces the view that hyperscalers (including Microsoft) will keep investing heavily in data centers — a direct tailwind for Azure and MSFT’s cloud AI monetization. Broadcom sees revenue above estimates as AI fuels custom chip demand
• Positive Sentiment: Industry analysis pointing to a ~$650B AI capex cycle (chips, servers, networking) supports durable demand for Microsoft’s cloud, AI services, and enterprise partnerships — a structural revenue driver. The $650 Billion AI Surge Is Here—2 Semiconductor ETFs to Play It
• Positive Sentiment: Big Tech’s White House pledge to fund new power generation/infrastructure for AI data centers reduces regulatory/political risk and potential utility bill backlash for operators like Microsoft, easing a possible operational headwind. Tech Bosses Tell Trump They’ll Pay Up for Electricity
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive reshuffle at Microsoft Gaming (Asha Sharma named CEO) focuses integration and growth post‑Acquisition; strategic but longer‑dated for material revenue effects. Microsoft Gaming Leadership Reset Puts Integration And Growth In Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella’s public comments acknowledging AI‑driven job displacement underline Microsoft’s narrative that AI is transformative — useful for strategic positioning but neutral for immediate cash flow. Satya Nadella Says AI Will Displace Workers—’Best Protection…Transform Yourself’
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI profitability concerns resurfaced after recent share‑price pullbacks; analysts and investors are reassessing whether current multiples properly reflect execution risk and long‑term AI margins. Assessing Microsoft (MSFT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And AI Profitability Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrades (Melius Research, Stifel) to Hold and public commentator concern (Jim Cramer) add selling pressure and reinforce short‑term skepticism. Melius Research and Stifel Downgrade Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/operational risk after reports of widespread Outlook email blocking drew user ire — this can draw regulatory scrutiny or customer friction if persistent. Microsoft Draws Internet Ire Over Wave of Email Blocking
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a GitHub alternative highlight competitive risk in developer tools — a potential threat to parts of Microsoft’s developer ecosystem over time. OpenAI is developing alternative to Microsoft’s GitHub, The Information reports

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).