Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Has $115.19 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC cut its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 222,393 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,179 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately 6.6% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $115,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter valued at about $50,493,678,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 564,387.1% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 90,549,369 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $45,040,162,000 after acquiring an additional 90,533,328 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft in the first quarter valued at approximately $18,733,827,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position 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. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $487.61 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company’s 50-day moving average is $498.15 and its 200-day moving average is $503.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.89%.

Key Stores Impacting Microsoft

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

MSFT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $637.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $675.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Arete Research upped their target price on Microsoft from $710.00 to $730.00 in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $631.03.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider directly owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Microsoft

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).