UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Decreases Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lowered its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,553,431 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 41,953 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises approximately 8.1% of UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $1,322,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 3.2% during the third quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,770 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $14,383,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. Emergent Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Microsoft by 26.5% in the third quarter. Emergent Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Microsoft by 1.3% during the third quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 83,957 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $43,485,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares during the last quarter. Smart Portfolios LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Smart Portfolios LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,406,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfuller Advisors LLC grew its stake in Microsoft by 75.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 6,896 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,572,000 after buying an additional 2,965 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: SeekingAlpha notes a potential Azure reacceleration that could surprise Wall Street — if Azure growth reaccelerates, revenue and margin outlooks would improve and relieve some valuation pressure. Microsoft’s Azure Reacceleration Could Shock Wall Street
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage arguing Microsoft’s cloud + AI model provides stability — its subscription and enterprise backlog can sustain cash flow while MSFT invests in AI products like Copilot. Microsoft: Cloud And AI-Driven Stability
• Positive Sentiment: Market activity in AI infrastructure suggests durable demand: BlackRock’s big position in Nebius (an AI infra vendor used by MSFT) signals institutional conviction in AI data‑center buildouts that benefit Microsoft’s cloud services. Whale Watching: BlackRock’s Massive Bet on Nebius Group (MSFT)
• Positive Sentiment: Large external capital plans (e.g., Adani’s $100B AI data‑center push with Google & Microsoft ties) point to multi‑year cloud/demand tailwinds for hyperscalers. India’s Adani Group To Invest $100 Billion In AI Data Centers Amid Strategic Partnership With Google, Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro bullish view: an AI productivity “miracle” case could lift long‑cycle earnings for cloud/AI leaders, but timing and calibration are uncertain. Scott Bessent’s Case for a 2026 AI Productivity Miracle
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis noting MSFT’s pullback sets up a potential bull run if AI investments convert into durable revenue — but also highlights recent deceleration drivers that pressured the stock. Why Microsoft Stock Is Bracing For A Bull Run
• Negative Sentiment: Surveys and experts warn Big Tech may be overinvesting in AI infrastructure — that narrative is driving sector multiple compression and investor caution. Investing Experts Sound Alarm on Big Tech’s Massive AI Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst headlines and downgrades (e.g., TipRanks coverage calling a “lose‑lose” scenario and Melius Research moving MSFT to Hold) are pressuring sentiment and can trigger short‑term selling. ‘A Lose-Lose Situation,’ Says Analyst as Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Faces Downgrade Melius Research Downgrades Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Stock to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Product/security risk: coverage of “AI recommendation poisoning” highlights emerging AI safety/reputational threats that could dent enterprise adoption or add compliance costs. “AI Recommendation Poisoning”: Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Sinks on New Threat

Microsoft Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $396.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $457.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $490.56.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MSFT shares. Arete Research upped their price objective on Microsoft from $710.00 to $730.00 in a report on Monday, October 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $450.00 price objective on Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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).