Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stake Increased by Global Retirement Partners LLC

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 174,011 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,758 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 2.0% of Global Retirement Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $90,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 54,100 shares of company stock valued at $27,598,872 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reported it hit a >$20B revenue target in 2025 — a direct positive for Microsoft because higher OpenAI sales boost demand for Azure compute, licensing and co‑commercial opportunities with MSFT. Microsoft-Backed OpenAI Hits $20B Revenue Target in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI says 2026 will be a turning point for practical AI adoption — signals accelerating enterprise uptake of AI tools that feed Azure consumption and Microsoft’s AI product stack. OpenAI Says 2026 Will Be a Turning Point for Practical AI Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman and other firms have been bullish on MSFT’s AI/cloud leadership (Goldman’s coverage implies material upside), reinforcing investor confidence in MSFT’s growth trajectory tied to enterprise AI. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Seen with 37% Upside as Goldman Highlights AI and Cloud Leadership
• Positive Sentiment: Overall analyst sentiment remains strongly bullish despite some price‑target trimming and heavy AI investment — many analysts still see sizable upside, which supports buying interest. Strong Analyst Sentiment on Microsoft (MSFT) Despite Price Target Cuts and Heavy AI Spend
• Neutral Sentiment: MSFT is highlighted on several AI/cloud “top picks” and ETFs — useful for flows into the stock but a slower, less direct catalyst than OpenAI revenue. Top AI Stocks to Boost Returns and Reignite Portfolio Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/ESG moves — large carbon removal purchases and initiatives to lower data‑center energy use support long‑term cost control and reputational upside but are not immediate revenue drivers. Microsoft Kicks Off 2026 With Flurry Of Large-Scale Carbon Removal Purchase Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Elon Musk filed claims seeking up to $134B from OpenAI and Microsoft — creates headline risk and uncertainty even if chances of material payout are unclear. Elon Musk Claims OpenAI and Microsoft Gained $134 Billion From His Early AI Work
• Negative Sentiment: Negative investor commentary and skeptics (e.g., Michael Burry, critical pieces) warn that AI spending and valuation could be overheated — increases volatility and could pressure multiples if led by macro or earnings disappointment. ‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry says the AI boom will end badly
• Negative Sentiment: Some critical analysis questions MSFT’s valuation and near‑term mix (see Seeking Alpha); combined with heavy AI spending, this fuels debate over margin/ROI timing. Microsoft: Something Doesn’t Add Up

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $459.86 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a 52 week low of $344.79 and a 52 week high of $555.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.42 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $483.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $502.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MSFT. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Melius Research upped their price objective on Microsoft from $595.00 to $625.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Microsoft from $700.00 to $665.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $630.37.

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).