Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Has $267.17 Million Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lessened its holdings in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 515,829 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 6,311 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $267,174,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its stake in 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. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft in the second quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT opened at $404.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $3.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $430.65 and a 200-day moving average of $477.49. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st 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 is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is presently 22.76%.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is doubling down on a multi‑model AI strategy and deeper Anthropic integration (Copilot Cowork / Claude) that should boost Azure consumption and enterprise Copilot seat revenue. Microsoft aims to be multi-model: Exec talks Anthropic AI team-up
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched a higher‑priced M365 “Frontier” / E7 $99 AI subscription and other enterprise AI bundles—moves that can lift ARPU, accelerate Copilot adoption and create stickier recurring revenue. Microsoft unveils $99 ‘Frontier’ AI subscription
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other sell‑side firms remain constructive (Buy/Outperform and elevated price targets), supporting longer‑term upside narratives tied to Azure and Copilot monetization. Here’s What Jefferies Think About Microsoft (MSFT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is in talks to lease a Texas AI data‑center site (after Oracle shelved plans) — an operational step toward capacity growth but with timing/costs still uncertain. Microsoft in talks to lease Texas AI data center site
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft said it will ship a prototype of the next Xbox to developers in 2027 (AMD silicon, improved ray tracing) — positive for long‑term gaming revenue but not an immediate earnings driver. Microsoft plans to ship prototype of next Xbox console to developers in 2027
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risk: Microsoft filed an amicus brief backing Anthropic in its suit to block the Pentagon’s supply‑chain designation — this preserves product access and Azure revenue but raises political and compliance exposure that could create near‑term uncertainty. Microsoft files amicus brief in support of Anthropic’s lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Growing bearish positioning and insider activity: short interest jumped materially in late Feb and an EVP disclosed a multi‑million‑dollar share sale — both can amplify downside momentum in volatile sessions. SEC Form 4 — Kathleen T. Hogan sale
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk: market strategists are warning of mid‑March seasonality, geopolitical tensions (Middle East) and heightened volatility — factors that tend to hit large tech names and can pressure multiples. Market Crash Warning? Wall Street Veteran Says Mid-March Could Mark a Turning Point

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 target price on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $600.00 price target (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $591.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% 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 insiders.

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).