VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC Takes $855,000 Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 1,651 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $855,000. Microsoft accounts for about 0.7% of VanWeelden Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MSFT. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 51.3% during 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 last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. University of Illinois Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter worth $44,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 price target (down previously from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. KeyCorp cut their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” 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 assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.95.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft elevates AI inside gaming — Phil Spencer retires and Asha Sharma (from CoreAI) will lead Microsoft Gaming, signaling tighter integration of CoreAI technology into Xbox products and services, which could expand monetization paths for Copilot/AI features across a large consumer base. Microsoft Gaming Leadership Shift Puts AI At The Center For Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Azure ecosystem win — Reltio’s Data Cloud earned Azure Certified Software status, reinforcing partner validation for Azure security/performance and supporting Azure adoption for enterprise AI data workflows. This is incremental positive evidence of continued Azure demand. Reltio Achieves Microsoft Azure Certification, Accelerating Trusted Data Delivery for Enterprise AI and Digital Transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: Third?party cloud demand signals — IREN’s pivot to AI cloud includes a reported multi?billion deal with Microsoft, highlighting strong customer demand for high?density AI capacity, though revenue impact to Microsoft isn’t detailed. IREN Repositions From Bitcoin To AI Cloud As Institutions Step In
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst and hedge?fund commentary — recent pieces offer both buy?the?dip narratives and skeptical takes on valuation and Copilot adoption; hedge funds are issuing contrasting calls, contributing to volatility rather than a clear directional signal. Hedge funds make contrasting calls on Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: Azure supply constraints flagged — Stifel warns that Azure capacity limits could act as a near?term growth headwind, implying revenue timing risks for cloud growth and pressuring sentiment. Stifel Flags Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Azure Supply Constraints as Near-Term Growth Headwind
• Negative Sentiment: Rotation away from mega?cap AI names — analysts note the AI rally is broadening beyond the Magnificent Seven and money is shifting into cyclical/“halo” stocks; commentary suggests Broadcom could overtake Microsoft on cash?flow metrics, adding competitive and rotation pressure. AI Rally Expands Beyond ‘Exhausted’ Mag7, Analysts Say—See Broadcom Overtaking Microsoft In Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Sector weakness and valuation concerns — multiple outlets report a software?stock selloff and debate whether Microsoft deserves a decade?low multiple amid slow Copilot monetization and macro/AI disruption fears, which is weighing on the stock. Software stocks are sliding. Is it time to ‘buy the dip’?

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of MSFT stock opened at $397.23 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $452.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $487.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 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 current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

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

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 22.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,339,651.75. This represents a 6.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This trade 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 company insiders.

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).