Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 161,782 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 3,405 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $83,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp purchased a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Westend Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft by 386.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new stake in Microsoft during the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their target price on Microsoft from $640.00 to $630.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $640.00 price target on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $631.03.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO-led shakeup to accelerate AI execution — reports say Satya Nadella reorganized senior leadership to inject urgency into Microsoft’s AI push, a move investors view as supportive for faster Copilot/Azure monetization. Microsoft CEO Injects ‘Sense of Urgency’ Into AI Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street bullish on 2026 AI upside — several analyst notes and forecasts point to a large AI-driven revenue lift (one headline cites a ~30% upside scenario), supporting investor optimism about multiple expansion if AI monetization becomes visible. Microsoft Stock Forecast: Why Wall Street Sees a 30% AI-Fueled Jump for MSFT in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Copilot / Dynamics 365 & Azure adoption remain tangible growth levers — Dynamics 365 and Copilot adoption are cited as drivers of enterprise seat upgrades and cloud consumption, underpinning recurring revenue and higher ARPU potential. Can Microsoft Stock Rally on Dynamics 365 Business Applications?
• Positive Sentiment: Xbox Cloud Gaming exits beta — cloud gaming availability for Game Pass subscribers can broaden engagement and recurring revenue in Microsoft’s gaming segment (service-led monetization vs. one-time hardware cycles). Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Announces Availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming
• Neutral Sentiment: Policy and hiring tailwinds — new federal bill (AI Talent Act) aims to streamline AI hiring across agencies; long term this could ease talent constraints for cloud/AI vendors but has limited near-term revenue impact. New Bill: Representative Sara Jacobs introduces H.R. 6573: AI Talent Act
• Neutral Sentiment: ESG recognition may broaden buyer base — Microsoft shows up on 2026 ESG stock lists, which can attract allocation from sustainability-focused funds but is not a primary earnings driver. 3 ESG Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio for Sustainable Returns in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: High AI capex and spending scrutiny — analysts are questioning whether massive AI investments across the Magnificent Seven will pressure free cash flow and near-term margins; this keeps upside tied to visible monetization of AI features. Buy Stock in the Mag 7 Hyperscalers or Are They Spending Too Much?
• Negative Sentiment: Hardware supply issues risk gaming timing — “RAMpocalypse” reports indicate potential delays for next-gen consoles, which could push Xbox hardware revenue further out (though Microsoft’s services exposure cushions the impact). What the RAMpocalypse Means for Sony’s PlayStation 6 & Microsoft’s (MSFT) Next Xbox

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider owned 461,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $487.54 on Wednesday. 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. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $495.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $504.01.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its 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. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 35.71%.The firm had revenue of $77.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.30 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

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).