Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s 2nd Largest Position

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. increased its position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 387,190 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,140 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 8.5% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $200,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Microsoft by 2.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 13,691,572 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Microsoft by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $148,823,341,000 after buying an additional 3,166,275 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $88,714,256,000 after buying an additional 3,532,054 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,493,678,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew 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 valued at $35,316,535,000 after buying an additional 11,600,470 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $413.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $465.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $494.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $344.79 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $3.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.08.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 22.76%.

More Microsoft News

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”

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MSFT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $590.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price objective (down from $650.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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 given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value 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 through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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).