Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC Makes New $11.78 Million Investment in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 22,743 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $11,780,000. Microsoft accounts for approximately 4.1% of Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 13,691,572 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $148,823,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,166,275 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $88,714,256,000 after purchasing an additional 3,532,054 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at $50,493,678,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Microsoft by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $35,316,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,600,470 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.1%

MSFT stock opened at $413.27 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $465.44 and a 200 day moving average of $494.72. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $344.79 and a twelve month high of $555.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

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

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid 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 is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total transaction 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 $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were 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 directly owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $620.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, New Street Research lifted their price target on Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft clarified Copilot user and monetization details, reducing uncertainty about one of its key AI revenue drivers — this helped the stock rebound after recent weakness. Microsoft Fills in Gaps on Copilot Numbers, Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Fresh optimism around OpenAI’s improving finances is lifting AI-linked names (including Microsoft, a major OpenAI backer), supporting sentiment for MSFT shares. AI Giant OpenAI Is Getting a Lift Lately. So Are Stocks Linked to It.
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is exploring superconducting power lines for data centers, a potential efficiency win that could lower long‑term operating costs as it scales cloud capacity for AI workloads. Microsoft exploring using advanced power lines to make data centers more energy-efficient
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Diamond Hill Capital increased its MSFT stake, a sign of continued conviction from some long‑term investors. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, the recent bounce is constructive but analysts warn MSFT needs to reclaim its 200‑day moving average before a sustained uptrend resumes — short-term resistance remains. Microsoft is Bouncing Back from Its Post-Earnings Price Crash, But Watch This Before You Buy MSFT Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research downgraded MSFT to Hold, flagging elevated AI capex and cash‑flow risks tied to aggressive AI infrastructure spending — a direct near‑term headwind for valuation. Stock Market Today, Feb. 10: Microsoft Stock Slips on Melius Downgrade Over AI Spending Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Broader concerns persist: commentators point to below‑expectations Azure growth and say Microsoft needs to better articulate its AI investment payback, contributing to caution among some investors and analysts. Jim Cramer on Microsoft (MSFT): “I Think They Need to Explain Their Story Better”

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).