Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. Takes $5.70 Million Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. acquired a new position in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 11,000 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,697,000. Microsoft comprises 1.4% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Microsoft by 2.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 705,077,786 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $350,712,742,000 after buying an additional 13,691,572 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Microsoft by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,196,519 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $148,823,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,166,275 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Microsoft by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 179,001,751 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $88,714,256,000 after acquiring an additional 3,532,054 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth about $50,493,678,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 83,787,746 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $35,316,535,000 after purchasing an additional 11,600,470 shares during the period. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Microsoft Stock Performance

MSFT opened at $410.68 on Friday. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $3.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.68, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $436.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $480.53. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by $0.28. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.28 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterates Microsoft as an AI market leader, saying MSFT is well positioned to capture rising enterprise AI spending — a bullish analyst view that supports investor confidence. ‘Microsoft Will Be the AI Winner,’ Says Jefferies
• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI’s large funding round is seen as easing worries around Microsoft’s OpenAI-linked exposure and gives MSFT “breathing room” for the partnership — a sentiment boost for the stock. OpenAI Funding Gives Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Breathing Space
• Positive Sentiment: New commercial deals and partnerships expand enterprise AI use-cases for Azure — notably a memorandum with Codelco to explore AI/automation in mining, which validates MSFT’s industrial AI TAM. Codelco, Microsoft sign AI deal for mining operations
• Positive Sentiment: Broader AI infrastructure demand remains strong (chip makers raising forecasts), implying continued cloud and Azure capacity spending from hyperscalers like Microsoft. This macro tailwind supports data-center related revenue. Broadcom sees revenue above estimates as AI fuels custom chip demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft says Anthropic products remain available to customers despite a Pentagon security designation, reducing risk of immediate commercial disruption but leaving policy uncertainty unresolved. Microsoft says Anthropic’s products can remain available to customers after security risk designation
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators debate whether the recent MSFT pullback (capex/margin concerns vs. long‑term AI upside) creates a buying opportunity — this fuels both bargain-hunting and caution among investors. Down 15% in 2026, Should You Buy the Dip in Microsoft Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Japan’s antitrust authority raided Microsoft’s Tokyo offices over suspected monopoly abuse — a regulatory probe that increases execution risk and could pressure the shares if it escalates. Microsoft Faces Japan Antitrust Probe As Gaming Shifts And AI Deals Grow
• Negative Sentiment: Customer and operator complaints about widespread Outlook email blocking highlight service/friction risks that could attract regulatory or reputational scrutiny. Microsoft Draws Internet Ire Over Wave of Email Blocking
• Negative Sentiment: Some shops have trimmed ratings/targets and debate valuation after a steep market cap decline — analyst downgrades and macro risk (rates, geopolitics) can keep selling pressure near term. Melius Research and Stifel Downgrade Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) to Hold

Insider Activity at Microsoft

In related news, Director John W. Stanton acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 83,905 shares in the company, valued at $33,339,651.75. This trade represents a 6.34% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Microsoft from $650.00 to $600.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $625.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $641.00 target price (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, New Street Research raised their price target on shares of Microsoft from $670.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $591.95.

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).