Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Position Reduced by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,360,507 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 190,773 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up about 2.3% of Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,740,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Leslie Global Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 11.9% in the third quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,035 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,572,000 after buying an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 3.7% in the third quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 15,488 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,022,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 40.8% in the third quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 40,405 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,928,000 after purchasing an additional 11,702 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its position in Microsoft by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 10,890 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glass Wealth Management Co LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 5.5% during the third quarter. Glass Wealth Management Co LLC now owns 30,883 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $15,996,000 after buying an additional 1,603 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on MSFT shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Microsoft from $625.00 to $610.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Microsoft from $650.00 to $625.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Rothschild Redb cut shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $640.00 price target on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $629.46.

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other 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 transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,402,668.08. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $454.52 on Wednesday. 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 has a market capitalization of $3.38 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, a PEG ratio of 1.72 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $481.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $502.15.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 25.89%.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bristol Myers Squibb partners with Microsoft to deploy AI imaging tools to accelerate early lung‑cancer detection — strengthens MSFT’s healthcare AI revenue pipeline and commercial credibility. Bristol Myers partners with Microsoft for AI-driven lung cancer detection
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI (Microsoft‑backed) reportedly hit ~$20B revenue in 2025 — a direct upside to Microsoft’s AI exposure through cloud compute, licensing and partnership arrangements. Microsoft‑Backed OpenAI Hits $20B Revenue Target in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is pushing to cut data‑center energy use and Nadella warns energy costs will decide the AI race — could reduce future operating/AI infra costs and support margins if successfully executed. Microsoft Wants to Lower Data Center Energy Use. Does That Help the Bull Case for MSFT Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen trimmed its price target (from $655 to $625) but kept a Buy — signals continued long‑term conviction but acknowledges nearer‑term valuation/nearterm risk. TD Cowen adjusts price target on Microsoft to $625 from $655, maintains buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft Marketplace gains incremental ecosystem wins (Cobalt Teams integration)—small revenue/engagement boost but limited immediate stock impact. Cobalt Microsoft® Teams® Integration Now Available in the Microsoft Marketplace®
• Neutral Sentiment: Jan. 28 earnings is the next major catalyst — investors will focus on Azure growth, AI-related capex and guidance. Dear Microsoft Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for January 28
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Azure cloud growth and forward guidance fell short of expectations have pressured the stock — investors are sensitive to any signs of decelerating cloud revenue or rising AI‑related costs. Microsoft (MSFT) Traded Lower as Its Reported Azure Cloud Growth and Forward Guidance Fell Short of Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft researchers published a list of jobs most exposed to AI, and related headlines have contributed to short‑term investor and public sentiment concerns — this helped headlines driving intraday weakness. Microsoft researchers have revealed the 40 jobs most exposed to AI—and even teachers make the list
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market/geo‑political headlines and a tech sector selloff (Magnificent Seven weakness) amplified pressure on MSFT today — macro risk is dragging even well‑funded AI leaders. America’s Biggest Tech Stocks Lead Tuesday’s Selloff as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Rattles Markets

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).