Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Has $28.42 Million Stake in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,757 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,905 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up approximately 1.2% of Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $28,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,927 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,834,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,325 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,059,000 after buying an additional 481 shares during the period. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH now owns 47,000 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $22,730,000 after buying an additional 12,541 shares during the period. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 100.7% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 4,433 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,144,000 after buying an additional 2,224 shares during the period. Finally, G&S Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. G&S Capital LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $3,130,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman revealed a new multi-billion-dollar stake in Microsoft (MSFT), saying the company looks attractively valued and highlighting Azure, Microsoft 365, and AI as key growth drivers. Reuters: Ackman’s Pershing Square takes stake in Microsoft, citing ‘compelling’ valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continued to argue that Microsoft’s AI infrastructure, Azure growth, and OpenAI exposure could support further upside, with some seeing the stock’s weaker recent performance as a buying opportunity. TipRanks: Microsoft Buy Rating Reiterated as AI and Cloud Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft also announced a board addition, appointing former EY chief Carmine Di Sibio to its board of directors, which is a governance update but not an immediate operating catalyst. PR Newswire: Microsoft announces appointment of Carmine Di Sibio to board of directors
• Negative Sentiment: The UK opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software and cloud practices, creating a potential regulatory overhang for the stock. Reuters: UK opens antitrust probe into Microsoft’s business software
• Negative Sentiment: LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned unit, announced 5% workforce cuts, reinforcing that the company is still trimming costs even as it ramps AI spending. Reuters: LinkedIn to lay off 5% of workforce amid tech industry cuts

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Microsoft news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,486,322.16. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 83,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $421.92 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.13 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The business’s 50-day moving average is $398.18 and its 200-day moving average is $440.75. Microsoft Corporation has a 1 year low of $356.28 and a 1 year high of $555.45.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The software giant reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.06 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $82.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.44 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.94% and a net margin of 39.34%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.46 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MSFT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Microsoft from $392.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Microsoft from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $515.00 target price (down from $630.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Microsoft from $675.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Thirty-nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $560.88.

Microsoft Company 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).