J.Safra Asset Management Corp Has $11.24 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 17.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,707 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,278 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about 0.7% of J.Safra Asset Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. J.Safra Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $11,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,493,678,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the first quarter worth $18,733,827,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 49,640.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,967,038 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,905,904,000 after purchasing an additional 29,906,791 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 2.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $350,712,742,000 after purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Microsoft by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $35,316,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,600,470 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft clarified Copilot user and monetization details, reducing uncertainty about one of its key AI revenue drivers — this helped the stock rebound after recent weakness. Microsoft Fills in Gaps on Copilot Numbers, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh optimism around OpenAI’s improving finances is lifting AI-linked names (including Microsoft, a major OpenAI backer), supporting sentiment for MSFT shares. AI Giant OpenAI Is Getting a Lift Lately. So Are Stocks Linked to It.
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is exploring superconducting power lines for data centers, a potential efficiency win that could lower long‑term operating costs as it scales cloud capacity for AI workloads. Microsoft exploring using advanced power lines to make data centers more energy-efficient
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Diamond Hill Capital increased its MSFT stake, a sign of continued conviction from some long‑term investors. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, the recent bounce is constructive but analysts warn MSFT needs to reclaim its 200‑day moving average before a sustained uptrend resumes — short-term resistance remains. Microsoft is Bouncing Back from Its Post-Earnings Price Crash, But Watch This Before You Buy MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT to Hold, flagging elevated AI capex and cash‑flow risks tied to aggressive AI infrastructure spending — a direct near‑term headwind for valuation. Stock Market Today, Feb. 10: Microsoft Stock Slips on Melius Downgrade Over AI Spending Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns persist: commentators point to below‑expectations Azure growth and say Microsoft needs to better articulate its AI investment payback, contributing to caution among some investors and analysts. Jim Cramer on Microsoft (MSFT): “I Think They Need to Explain Their Story Better”

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the business’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 value of $6,266,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,577,620.48. This represents 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on MSFT. HSBC reduced their price target on Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Arete Research increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $710.00 to $730.00 in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.1%

MSFT stock opened at $413.27 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $465.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $494.72. The company has a market cap of $3.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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).