Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 73,413 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,015,858 shares of the software giant’s stock after buying an additional 73,413 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up approximately 0.6% of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $974,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Microsoft in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 287.0% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft won a major healthcare AI win, with NHS England planning a rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 505,000 clinicians and staff. The deal could expand recurring Copilot adoption and reinforces Microsoft’s AI monetization story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts pointed to fresh support for Azure and Microsoft’s broader AI cloud business, including commentary that rising AI infrastructure demand could boost cloud upside and longer-term earnings growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft also received positive coverage around its AI strategy, with articles highlighting its agentic AI ambitions and Citi reaffirming a Buy rating with a $620 price target, signaling continued Wall Street confidence. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft’s open-source GitHub projects were reportedly compromised by hackers trying to steal AI developer logins, which is a security concern but not yet a clear direct financial hit. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces discussed Microsoft’s long-term AI position, OpenAI relationship, and stock valuation, but these were mostly commentary rather than new business updates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft stock is also facing pressure from reports that it is “sinking” despite some positive news, reflecting investor caution after recent gains and a broader rotation away from mega-cap tech. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Short-interest data and hedge-fund activity added to the cautious tone, with articles noting Microsoft has been a recent target of heavy debate and that David Tepper sold most of Appaloosa’s Microsoft position. Article Title

Microsoft Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $403.41 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $409.48 and its 200-day moving average is $430.37. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $356.28 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $3.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $540.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $600.00 to $550.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Forty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $561.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.34, for a total value of $519,111.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,003 shares in the company, valued at $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.99, for a total value of $7,145,345.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 110,477 shares in the company, valued at $50,928,792.23. The trade was a 12.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company 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).