Root Financial Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,962 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for approximately 0.9% of Root Financial Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Root Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $15,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. QTR Family Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. QTR Family Wealth LLC now owns 16,227 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209 shares during the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 0.7% during the third quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 5,033 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,607,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 19.7% in the third quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 3,968 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Birinyi Associates Inc lifted its position in shares of Microsoft by 0.8% in the third quarter. Birinyi Associates Inc now owns 33,799 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $17,506,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 16.9% during the third quarter. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $881,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $401.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $462.37 and a 200-day moving average of $493.44. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 39.04%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 22.76%.

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares in the company, valued at $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Anthropic’s $30B Series G (valuing the company at $380B) included investments tied to Microsoft, underscoring continued enterprise demand for AI and reinforcing MSFT’s strategic positioning in the AI ecosystem. Anthropic Valuation Hits $380 Billion as Enterprise AI Demand Explodes
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft deepened its sovereign?cloud and AI push via a Capgemini alliance, boosting Microsoft’s government and regulated-industry reach—a revenue and sticky?customer positive for Azure and commercial cloud. Microsoft Deepens Sovereign Cloud And AI Push With Capgemini Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat argues Azure migrations (legacy SQL and enterprise workloads) are a steady, high?margin growth engine that cushions AI capex volatility—important context for long?term revenue stability. Why Microsoft’s Cloud Migrations Matter More Than Its AI Hype
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft issued security fixes for actively exploited Windows/Office zero?day vulnerabilities—operationally positive because it reduces enterprise risk and supports trust in its OS/Office franchises. Microsoft says hackers are exploiting critical zero-day bugs to target Windows and Office users
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical analysts note MSFT may be bottoming at channel support after the pullback, suggesting a possible short?term rebound if volume and patterns confirm. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Price Forecast: Bottoming at Channel Support?
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity is mixed—some funds have trimmed MSFT exposure while others added shares—indicating diverging views among large holders rather than a consensus directional shift. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Microsoft Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple bullish commentaries and analyst upgrades argue the post?earnings sell?off creates a buying opportunity, which could support the stock if macro sentiment improves. Buy Microsoft’s Falling Price Despite An Overvalued Macroeconomy
• Negative Sentiment: Street reports highlight investor concern that heavy AI capex and cautious Azure guidance will pressure margins and free cash flow—this remains the primary near?term driver of the sell?off. Street Reassesses Microsoft (MSFT) Amid Azure Growth and Capex Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: FT coverage notes shifts in OpenAI relationships and leadership at Anthropic plotting “self?sufficiency,” highlighting competitive and strategic friction in Microsoft’s AI partnerships—adds uncertainty to the OpenAI?centric part of MSFT’s narrative. Mustafa Suleyman plots AI ‘self-sufficiency’ as Microsoft loosens OpenAI ties
• Negative Sentiment: High?profile criticism (e.g., Chamath) that Microsoft has underperformed other hyperscalers since the ChatGPT era adds negative sentiment pressure and can amplify short?term selling. Microsoft Is ‘Worst-Performing’ Hyperscaler Stock Since ChatGPT Launch, Chamath Palihapitiya Says

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $632.00 to $659.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 price objective (down previously from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Melius Research set a $430.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Microsoft from $630.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $591.95.

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).