QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 390,100 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

QRG Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,006,898 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 390,100 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 6.3% of QRG Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $521,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 342 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Red Mountain Financial LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.7% during the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,761 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,373,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Onyx Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 0.3% during the second quarter. Onyx Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,108 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,536,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $635,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in 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. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Microsoft from $640.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Microsoft from $640.00 to $620.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore cut their price objective on Microsoft from $640.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst commentary and broader tech-led market lift helped push MSFT higher after last week’s sell-off; the coverage framed the pullback as a buying opportunity. Why Microsoft Stock Topped the Market Today
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed how many paying Copilot customers it has — a concrete monetization datapoint that reassures investors about AI product revenue traction. Microsoft Finally Revealed How Many Paying Copilot Customers It Has. The Answer Was Shocking for More Reasons Than One.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports attribute part of MSFT’s gains to a key new hire meant to shore up AI efforts and execution — a governance/operational positive that calms investor nerves about execution risk. Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains Thanks in Part to New Hire
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum at OpenAI (where Microsoft is a major backer) shows ChatGPT growth accelerating vs. Google — supportive for Microsoft’s AI strategy and Azure demand. OpenAI Intensifies Race with Google as ChatGPT Returns to Higher Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox-related reports (next Xbox reportedly a gaming PC) provided a modest product narrative boost but are unlikely to move near-term earnings materially. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Rises Alongside Reports the Next Xbox Will Be a Gaming PC
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis arguing AI spending looks large on paper but is manageable helped calm some fears — frames capex as an investment with long-term payback rather than an immediate cash drain. Microsoft’s AI Spend Looks Scary, Until You Run The Numbers
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT from Buy to Hold and cut its price target, citing concerns about AI capex and growth—this is a direct bearish analyst action pressuring sentiment. Here’s Why Melius Moved to the Sidelines on Microsoft Stock (MSFT)
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier downgrades (e.g., Stifel) and commentary that MSFT’s valuation now trades below legacy peers like IBM highlight investor worries about heavy AI CapEx and near-term margin pressure. Microsoft’s stock is now cheaper than IBM’s. What that says about the AI trade.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Microsoft Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $414.12 on Tuesday. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $466.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $495.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

Microsoft Company 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).