Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Buys 18,845 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 9.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 227,352 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,845 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 2.4% of Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $117,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Microsoft by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,658,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 410.4% during the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,735,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. New Street Research lifted their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and set a $392.00 target price (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $591.95.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterates a bullish view on Microsoft, naming MSFT its leading AI investment and assigning a $675 price target — a vote of confidence that supports upside for the stock. Jefferies Names Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Its Leading AI Investment With $675 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft signed an AI collaboration with Codelco (Chile’s state miner) to evaluate AI, automation and analytics for mining — another enterprise win that strengthens Azure/Microsoft AI cash flows over time. Codelco, Microsoft sign AI deal for mining operations
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI’s large funding round and continued strategic ties give Microsoft breathing room around its AI investments and partnerships, reducing near-term partnership tail-risk. OpenAI Funding Gives Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Breathing Space
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft says it will continue integrating Anthropic’s Claude into products despite the Pentagon labeling Anthropic a “supply chain risk” — continuity for product roadmaps but with some government-contract uncertainty. Microsoft (MSFT) Maintains Anthropic Claude Integration Despite Pentagon Supply Chain Ban
• Neutral Sentiment: Google and Microsoft both said Anthropic remains available for non-defense projects, which limits immediate disruption but keeps regulatory headlines in play. Google joins Microsoft in telling users Anthropic is still available outside defense projects
• Neutral Sentiment: Options strategists and some investors view the pullback as a buying opportunity (protective collar strategies highlighted), indicating increased interest from longer-term/hedged buyers even amid volatility. Trade the Deep Value and Dubious Option Pricing in Microsoft Stock with This 1 Great Options Strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators flag downside risk before MSFT can justify very high targets — concerns center on heavy AI-related capex, moderating Azure growth and margin pressure despite long-term upside. That debate is creating selling pressure and volatility. Buy the Dip or Wait? Analyst Flags Downside Risk Before $680 Breakout In Microsoft (MSFT) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: Japan’s antitrust probe into Microsoft’s cloud/software practices adds regional legal uncertainty that could weigh on valuation multiple or deal activity in Asia. Microsoft Faces Japan Antitrust Probe As Gaming Shifts And AI Deals Grow
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market pressures — rising yields, higher energy prices and sector rotation — are pulling down high-multiple software names; Microsoft’s heavy AI spend makes it more sensitive to sentiment swings despite strong fundamentals. How Microsoft Stock Falls To $325?

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In other news, Director John W. Stanton bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.4%

Microsoft stock opened at $408.96 on Monday. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $435.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $479.38.

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

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).