Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is DNB Asset Management AS’s Largest Position

DNB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,776,034 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 143,133 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up about 9.2% of DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. DNB Asset Management AS owned about 0.06% of Microsoft worth $2,473,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 3.9% during the third quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 91,937 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $47,619,000 after buying an additional 3,410 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.3% in the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 318,862 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $165,154,000 after acquiring an additional 4,074 shares in the last quarter. Chaney Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.3% in the third quarter. Chaney Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,714 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $13,837,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the third quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 307,852 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $159,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group increased its position in Microsoft by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 15,406 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $7,980,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MSFT has been the subject of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $591.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines 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

Microsoft Stock Down 0.2%

MSFT opened at $404.88 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $344.79 and a 1 year high of $555.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $430.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $477.49. 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.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. Microsoft’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given 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 is 22.76%.

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).