Baskin Financial Services Inc. Has $75.14 Million Stock Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Baskin Financial Services Inc. decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 145,066 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,517 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for approximately 5.5% of Baskin Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Baskin Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $75,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total transaction of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,402,668.08. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush’s Dan Ives labels Microsoft a “compelling” buy for 2026 and sets a $625 target, arguing MSFT is an overlooked AI winner with ~30% upside — a catalyst for buyer interest. This Dividend-Yielding Tech Stock Looks a ‘Compelling Buy’ for 2026 After 2 Years of Underperformance
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms (Evercore, Wedbush, others) reiterated Outperform/Overweight ratings and high price targets (median ~$639), supporting upside expectations and fresh buying by institutions. Microsoft, Salesforce Lead Evercore’s 2026 Picks
• Positive Sentiment: Social and data-driven commentary highlights continued AI and Azure strength (Azure growth cited >30% YoY) and investor excitement around Copilot/AI infrastructure demand — a core growth narrative. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI appears closer to showing ads on ChatGPT — could create a new monetization stream that indirectly benefits Microsoft, but timing/terms and competitive/regulatory implications remain uncertain. OpenAI Is Getting Closer to Showing Ads on ChatGPT
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro view: strategists expect a solid 2026 for stocks but warn of rising volatility — a backdrop that can amplify MSFT moves in either direction. Wall Street Expects a Solid 2026 for Stocks. But the ‘Risks Are Growing’
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling (including several executive sales) and reports of heavy insider dispositions can dent investor confidence about timing/valuation. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Growth
• Negative Sentiment: CapEx and “overbuilding” risk: coverage highlights very large AI/data-center investments (reported multibillion-dollar capex) which could pressure margins if AI monetization lags. Microsoft: Not Immune To The Risk Of Overbuilding
• Negative Sentiment: Product/adoption concerns: reports say Copilot adoption has been slower than hoped, prompting CEO Satya Nadella to take a more hands‑on product role — a short‑term execution risk. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella steps up as AI product overseer amid Copilot adoption challenges: report
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/talent risk: the administration’s H‑1B overhaul (ending the pure lottery) could change talent sourcing/costs for big tech, a medium‑term headwind for staffing/AI hiring. Trump administration moves to overhaul how H-1B visas are granted, ending lottery system

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MSFT. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $630.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Evercore ISI set a $640.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Friday, November 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $625.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $631.03.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $487.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.62 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $498.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $503.42. 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 fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 35.71%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

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).