Payne Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 15,876 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Payne Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 15,876 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $8,223,000. Microsoft makes up about 8.3% of Payne Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Microsoft by 27.0% in the first 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. increased its holdings in Microsoft by 0.3% during 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 boosted its stake in Microsoft by 410.4% in the third quarter. Discipline Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Microsoft by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 2,374 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $9,735,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Price Performance

MSFT stock opened at $405.20 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $438.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $481.02. The stock has a market cap of $3.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $344.79 and a one year high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $81.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.28 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 39.04% and a return on equity of 32.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.23 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Microsoft news, Director John W. Stanton purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, 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. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MSFT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Microsoft from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $392.00 price target (down from $540.00) on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $641.00 price target (down from $645.00) on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $591.95.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Broadcom’s strong revenue outlook and commentary that AI semiconductor demand is accelerating reinforces the view that hyperscalers (including Microsoft) will keep investing heavily in data centers — a direct tailwind for Azure and MSFT’s cloud AI monetization. Broadcom sees revenue above estimates as AI fuels custom chip demand
• Positive Sentiment: Industry analysis pointing to a ~$650B AI capex cycle (chips, servers, networking) supports durable demand for Microsoft’s cloud, AI services, and enterprise partnerships — a structural revenue driver. The $650 Billion AI Surge Is Here—2 Semiconductor ETFs to Play It
• Positive Sentiment: Big Tech’s White House pledge to fund new power generation/infrastructure for AI data centers reduces regulatory/political risk and potential utility bill backlash for operators like Microsoft, easing a possible operational headwind. Tech Bosses Tell Trump They’ll Pay Up for Electricity
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive reshuffle at Microsoft Gaming (Asha Sharma named CEO) focuses integration and growth post‑Acquisition; strategic but longer‑dated for material revenue effects. Microsoft Gaming Leadership Reset Puts Integration And Growth In Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella’s public comments acknowledging AI‑driven job displacement underline Microsoft’s narrative that AI is transformative — useful for strategic positioning but neutral for immediate cash flow. Satya Nadella Says AI Will Displace Workers—’Best Protection…Transform Yourself’
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI profitability concerns resurfaced after recent share‑price pullbacks; analysts and investors are reassessing whether current multiples properly reflect execution risk and long‑term AI margins. Assessing Microsoft (MSFT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And AI Profitability Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrades (Melius Research, Stifel) to Hold and public commentator concern (Jim Cramer) add selling pressure and reinforce short‑term skepticism. Melius Research and Stifel Downgrade Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/operational risk after reports of widespread Outlook email blocking drew user ire — this can draw regulatory scrutiny or customer friction if persistent. Microsoft Draws Internet Ire Over Wave of Email Blocking
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a GitHub alternative highlight competitive risk in developer tools — a potential threat to parts of Microsoft’s developer ecosystem over time. OpenAI is developing alternative to Microsoft’s GitHub, The Information reports

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).