Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Hoffman Alan N Investment Management’s 3rd Largest Position

Hoffman Alan N Investment Management lowered its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 29.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,194 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 22,191 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 14.2% of Hoffman Alan N Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Hoffman Alan N Investment Management’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $25,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Stance Capital LLC bought a new position in Microsoft in the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MSFT. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $641.00 price target (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was 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 directly owned 137,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $383.04 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $416.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $470.91.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.76%.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore flags upside to Azure revenue and highlights monetization levers (365 E7, Copilot pricing) that could lift cloud revenue and margins if adoption accelerates. Evercore highlights potential upside to Microsoft’s Azure revenue, discusses 365 E7, Copilot
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft hired top AI researchers (Ali Farhadi, Hanna Hajishirzi, Ranjay Krishna) into Mustafa Suleyman’s team — a clear signal the company is doubling down on advanced AI R&D that could sustain long‑term product leadership. Microsoft hires former Ai2 CEO Ali Farhadi and key researchers for Suleyman’s AI team
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft-backed Lace raised $40M to advance helium atom-beam lithography — a potential long-term strategic edge in chip tooling and supply for AI infrastructure. This is a small but strategic bet on semiconductor innovation that complements Azure/NV investment. Microsoft-backed startup raises $40 million for advanced chipmaking equipment tech
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft is expanding AI-security and automation partnerships across Azure and Copilot workflows (Accenture, UiPath, others), which supports enterprise stickiness and cross-sell opportunities. Microsoft’s Expanding AI Security Partnerships Deepen Azure And Copilot Workflows
• Neutral Sentiment: Active ETFs and some dividend/AI ETFs continue to hold MSFT as a core position, providing steady institutional demand but not a near‑term catalyst. Active ETFs Surge Past Passive, and These Are in the Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Specialized YieldMax ETFs that reference Microsoft carry embedded VIX/option risks — relevant to ETF holders but not a direct MSFT-company operational issue. YieldMax ETFs Tied to Berkshire and Microsoft Carry a Hidden ‘Vix Risk’ Most Holders Never See
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn the Copilot reorganization is a red flag — consolidation of teams and tighter gating of premium Copilot features raises short‑term execution risk and questions about monetization speed. Reorganization suggests Microsoft issues are mounting, analyst says
• Negative Sentiment: Melius Research reiterated concerns calling the Copilot shake‑up a “red flag,” contributing to cautious sentiment and pressuring the stock amid an already weak YTD performance. Melius analyst: Microsoft’s Copilot reorganization is a ‘red flag’
• Negative Sentiment: Broader tech/headline pressure (shares of MSFT, NVDA, MU moved sharply in recent sessions) and Windows emergency‑update reports add short‑term volatility risk as investors reassess AI capex and monetization timelines. Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA), and Micron (MU) Crash 10% Collectively. What is Going on?

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).