Key Points
- EVP Kathleen Hogan sold 12,321 Microsoft shares on March 6 at an average price of $409.52 for about $5.05 million, trimming her stake by 8.2% to 137,933 shares (roughly $56.49 million).
- Microsoft beat quarterly expectations (EPS $4.14 vs. $3.86, revenue $81.27B, revenue +16.7% YoY) and retains a "Moderate Buy" analyst consensus with an average price target of $591.95 amid AI product initiatives that could boost Azure consumption.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) EVP Kathleen Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Microsoft Trading Up 0.1%
NASDAQ MSFT opened at $409.41 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's 50 day moving average is $433.86 and its 200 day moving average is $478.72. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The business 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Microsoft
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 342 shares of the software giant's stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.6% during the third quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,169 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 1.6% during the second quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 1,276 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Capital Management Ltd. now owns 6,509 shares of the software giant's stock worth $3,371,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARK & TLK Investments LLC increased its holdings in Microsoft by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. ARK & TLK Investments LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the software giant's stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the company's stock.
Microsoft News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft launched Copilot Cowork (AI agents powered by Anthropic’s Claude), reinforcing its enterprise AI roadmap and positioning Copilot as a platform to drive Azure consumption and seat-based revenue. Microsoft taps Anthropic for Copilot Cowork in push for AI agents
- Positive Sentiment: Microsoft rolled out an enterprise AI bundle and a higher-priced M365 tier (E7 / $99/user per month) that could accelerate Copilot adoption, lift average revenue per user, and create predictable recurring revenue. Microsoft Unveils AI-Centric $99-Per-User Software Bundle
- Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft is publicly keeping Anthropic-powered products available to many customers despite the Pentagon’s supply-chain designation of Anthropic — a move that preserves Microsoft’s access to Claude (and associated Azure consumption) but also keeps the company exposed to geopolitical/regulatory headlines. Microsoft Positioned to Win AI Race With Dual-Model Strategy
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are debating valuation after the stock’s pullback; some see the drop as a buying opportunity while others highlight slower Copilot adoption as a near-term headwind — this drives mixed analyst commentary that can amplify intraday moves. Should You Buy Microsoft At $400?
- Neutral Sentiment: Market rumors (e.g., around Xbox) have prompted “rumor control” headlines; these are short-lived but can create volatility in sentiment-driven trading sessions. “Blank Check” For Xbox? Microsoft Stock Dips as Rumor Control Sets In
- Negative Sentiment: An insider sale: EVP Kathleen Hogan disclosed a multi-million-dollar sale of MSFT shares (12,321 shares), which investors often view as a modest negative signal on near-term insider conviction. SEC Form 4 — Kathleen T. Hogan sale
- Negative Sentiment: Legal and safety risk: a lawsuit alleging inadequate AI safety around Microsoft/OpenAI products and Anthropic’s legal fight with the Pentagon keep regulatory and litigation risk on investors’ radars, potentially increasing compliance costs or leading to restrictions. Anthropic sues to block Pentagon blacklisting
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $590.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Microsoft from $640.00 to $520.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. New Street Research boosted their price target on Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, HSBC cut their price target on Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $591.95.
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Microsoft Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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).
Further Reading
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