Banco Santander S.A. Raises Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 831,873 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 37,947 shares during the quarter. Microsoft accounts for 3.8% of Banco Santander S.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $430,869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 342 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Microsoft by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,371,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, ARK & TLK Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.0% in the third quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $5,045,695.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

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

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 the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect 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, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

Key Stories Impacting Microsoft

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MSFT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. New Street Research lifted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Microsoft from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $650.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

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).