Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Holdings Trimmed by Perkins Coie Trust Co

Perkins Coie Trust Co cut its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 65,458 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 2,851 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 5.9% of Perkins Coie Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Perkins Coie Trust Co’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $31,656,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its position in Microsoft by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,016 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.3% in the second quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 12,658 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $5,658,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 410.4% in the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,144,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $9,735,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Launched three proprietary AI models (MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, MAI-Image-2) — signals faster, more self‑sufficient AI offerings that reduce dependence on external partners and can accelerate product monetization. Microsoft releases trio of AI models for transcription, voice generation and image creation
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg reports Microsoft has hit Copilot sales goals after a strategy shift — evidence that Copilot commercial traction is improving and could support near‑term revenue/booking growth. Microsoft hits Copilot sales goals after strategy shift – Bloomberg
• Positive Sentiment: Large regional infrastructure commitments — continued investment in Asia (e.g., multi‑billion plans for Singapore and Thailand) to expand cloud/AI capacity and address data‑sovereignty demand, supporting long‑term Azure and cloud revenue potential. What Microsoft (MSFT)’s Asia AI Infrastructure Bet Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and fresh buy coverage (Benchmark, New Street, others) with lofty price targets — reinforces buy‑the‑dip narratives and attracts dip buyers. Microsoft in focus as Benchmark starts with Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Exclusive talks with Chevron/Engine No. 1 on a large Texas power project could secure dedicated energy for AI data centers — strategic but execution‑ and timing‑dependent. Microsoft and Chevron enter exclusivity deal on powering West Texas AI data center complex
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI’s huge funding/valuation debate and broader AI-market dynamics remain relevant to MSFT (partner/competitor ecosystem impacts), but effects are indirect and longer‑term. Is OpenAI’s $1 trillion IPO valuation realistic?
• Negative Sentiment: Billionaire Dan Loeb reduced his Microsoft stake, citing cloud growth and Azure supply concerns — signals some institutional reservations that can weigh on sentiment. Billionaire Investor Reduces Microsoft Stake Amid Cloud Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Microsoft’s recent weak quarter(s) — “worst since 2008” narratives and concerns about elevated AI capex and mixed guidance keep downside risk for sentiment and near‑term multiples. Microsoft Just Had Its Worst Quarter Since 2008–Is This a Generational “Buy” Signal?
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/positioning pressure (breach below long‑term moving averages, some insider/institutional trimming) — raises possibility of further volatility even if fundamentals remain intact. Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on Breaching 200-Week Moving Average

Insider Transactions at Microsoft

In related news, EVP Kathleen T. Hogan sold 12,321 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $5,045,695.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,933 shares in the company, valued at $56,486,322.16. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $397.35 per share, with a total value of $1,986,750.00. Following the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MSFT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on Microsoft from $600.00 to $510.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on Microsoft from $625.00 to $530.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective 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. HSBC decreased their target price on Microsoft from $667.00 to $588.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $588.97.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $373.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $402.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $463.92. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $344.79 and a 1-year high of $555.45. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.11.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The software giant reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.76%.

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).