Graphene Investments SAS Boosts Stock Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Graphene Investments SAS increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 25.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,800 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up 3.9% of Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Graphene Investments SAS’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $5,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd raised its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 54,456 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $20,158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in shares of Microsoft by 4.4% during the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 59,955 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $22,193,000 after buying an additional 2,501 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 11.9% during the first quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 121,196 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $44,863,000 after buying an additional 12,874 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co raised its position in Microsoft by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 236,541 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $87,560,000 after buying an additional 5,762 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $464.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.45 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $555.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $397.99 and its 200-day moving average is $405.96.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Key Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure growth exceeded expectations. Azure revenue increased 43% year over year, and annual Azure sales surpassed $100 billion for the first time. Management also guided to approximately 45% Azure growth in the next quarter, reinforcing confidence in Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise AI demand. Microsoft Shares Jump After Strong Outlook and Solid AI-Driven Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings beat was substantial. Microsoft reported quarterly revenue of $90.01 billion and adjusted EPS of $4.74, above analyst estimates of $87.62 billion and $4.24, respectively. Net income reportedly rose 31%, while revenue increased about 18% year over year. Microsoft Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates as Cloud and AI Drive Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI monetization and financial discipline eased investor concerns. Microsoft 365 Copilot surpassed 30 million paid seats, its commercial remaining performance obligation reached $678 billion—up 84% year over year—and management held its capital-expenditure outlook broadly steady while emphasizing continued cash generation. Investors viewed this as a better balance between infrastructure investment and returns than some peers have demonstrated. Microsoft Eases AI Spending Concerns
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts largely reaffirmed bullish views, with several price-target increases, although estimates remain wide. Microsoft’s stock is now trading well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages after a historic rally, raising the possibility of increased volatility or profit-taking.
• Negative Sentiment: Microsoft continues to face risks from data-center power constraints, chip costs, regulatory scrutiny and the enormous scale of AI investment. A reported cloud-security flaw that could have exposed customers adds another operational concern. Cyber Firm Wiz Reports Microsoft Cloud Flaw
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms publicized a securities class-action lawsuit concerning investors who purchased Microsoft shares between May 1, 2025, and January 28, 2026, with an August 11 lead-plaintiff deadline. Such announcements may create reputational and legal overhang, although they have not offset the earnings-driven optimism. Microsoft Securities Class Action Deadline

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 15,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $50,928,792.23. This represents a 12.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Coleman sold 1,262 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 46,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,922,874.02. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 23,762 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,361 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MSFT shares. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $593.00 to $571.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Microsoft from $545.00 to $512.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn decreased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $515.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Forty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $558.64.

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).