Argentarii LLC Purchases 3,891 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Argentarii LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,436 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,891 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 5.6% of Argentarii LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Argentarii LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $17,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.0% during 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 last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $148,823,341,000 after buying an additional 3,166,275 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $88,714,256,000 after buying an additional 3,532,054 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,493,678,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Microsoft by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $35,316,535,000 after buying an additional 11,600,470 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MSFT opened at $373.46 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $402.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $463.92. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.11. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.Microsoft’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 22.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MSFT. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Melius Research set a $430.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 target price on Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, HSBC cut their price target on Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $588.97.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $397.35 per share, for a total transaction of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launched three proprietary AI models (MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, MAI-Image-2) — signals faster, more self‑sufficient AI offerings that reduce dependence on external partners and can accelerate product monetization. Microsoft releases trio of AI models for transcription, voice generation and image creation
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg reports Microsoft has hit Copilot sales goals after a strategy shift — evidence that Copilot commercial traction is improving and could support near‑term revenue/booking growth. Microsoft hits Copilot sales goals after strategy shift – Bloomberg
• Positive Sentiment: Large regional infrastructure commitments — continued investment in Asia (e.g., multi‑billion plans for Singapore and Thailand) to expand cloud/AI capacity and address data‑sovereignty demand, supporting long‑term Azure and cloud revenue potential. What Microsoft (MSFT)’s Asia AI Infrastructure Bet Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and fresh buy coverage (Benchmark, New Street, others) with lofty price targets — reinforces buy‑the‑dip narratives and attracts dip buyers. Microsoft in focus as Benchmark starts with Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Exclusive talks with Chevron/Engine No. 1 on a large Texas power project could secure dedicated energy for AI data centers — strategic but execution‑ and timing‑dependent. Microsoft and Chevron enter exclusivity deal on powering West Texas AI data center complex
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI’s huge funding/valuation debate and broader AI-market dynamics remain relevant to MSFT (partner/competitor ecosystem impacts), but effects are indirect and longer‑term. Is OpenAI’s $1 trillion IPO valuation realistic?
• Negative Sentiment: Billionaire Dan Loeb reduced his Microsoft stake, citing cloud growth and Azure supply concerns — signals some institutional reservations that can weigh on sentiment. Billionaire Investor Reduces Microsoft Stake Amid Cloud Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Microsoft’s recent weak quarter(s) — “worst since 2008” narratives and concerns about elevated AI capex and mixed guidance keep downside risk for sentiment and near‑term multiples. Microsoft Just Had Its Worst Quarter Since 2008–Is This a Generational “Buy” Signal?
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/positioning pressure (breach below long‑term moving averages, some insider/institutional trimming) — raises possibility of further volatility even if fundamentals remain intact. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Breaching 200-Week Moving Average

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).