<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Element Pointe Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of  Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 22.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,356 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 1,253 shares during the period. Microsoft makes up  about  0.5% of Element Pointe Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Element Pointe Advisors LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $2,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><ul><li>Oracle Stock Hit Hard: Why Its AI Pipeline Could Drive a 2026 Rally</li></ul><p>Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in  Microsoft by 51.3% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter.  Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of  Microsoft during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000.  Westend Capital Management LLC increased its position in  Microsoft by 386.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter.  LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in  Microsoft during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000.  Finally, University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in  Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson  reaffirmed a &#34;buy&#34; rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Wolfe Research  set a $675.00 price objective on Microsoft and gave the stock an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Piper Sandler  reiterated an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and issued a $650.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Guggenheim  set a $675.00 price target on Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Microsoft from $637.00 to $645.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have issued  a Buy rating and four have issued  a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus price target of $632.34.</p><ul><li>Walmart’s NASDAQ Switch Could Change Everything for WMT Stock</li></ul><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Microsoft</b></p><h2>Insider Activity at Microsoft</h2><p>In related news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total transaction of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares in the company, valued at $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.52, for a total value of $6,266,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. The trade was a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own  0.03% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Microsoft Stock Down 1.0%</h2><ul><li>Office Suite Gets Pricier: Microsoft’s Bold Move Comes With Risk</li></ul><p>Microsoft stock opened at $478.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.03, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $504.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $502.65. </p><p>Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.48. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The company had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.30 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year.  Equities analysts predict that  Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Microsoft Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.89%. </p><h2>About Microsoft</h2> (Free Report)<p>Microsoft Corporation develops and supports software, services, devices and solutions worldwide. The Productivity and Business Processes segment offers office, exchange, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, office 365 Security and Compliance, Microsoft viva, and Microsoft 365 copilot; and office consumer services, such as Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions, Office licensed on-premises, and other office services.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Microsoft</li><li>What is Short Interest? How to Use It</li><li>Dave &amp; Buster’s Reversal Is in PLAY After Double-Bottom Breakout</li><li>Low PE Growth Stocks: Unlocking Investment Opportunities</li><li>3 Finance Stocks to Buy on Rising 10-Year Treasury Rates</li><li>Investing in Travel Stocks Benefits</li><li>Disney's $1 Billion Deal Brings Its Magic to OpenAI</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSFT?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TVNGVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TVNGVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Microsoft Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Microsoft, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Microsoft wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Microsoft currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

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<p>Element Pointe Advisors LLC reduced its Microsoft holdings by 22.3% in Q2, owning 4,356 shares worth $2.17 million. Other investors adjusted their stakes, with analysts maintaining a "Moderate Buy" rating and a consensus price target of $632.34. Insiders sold shares worth $27.6 million recently. Microsoft's stock opened at $478.53, with a market cap of $3.56 trillion.</p>

- Element Pointe Advisors LLC reduced its Microsoft Corporation shares by 22.3% in Q2, holding 4,356 shares valued at $2,166,000.  
- Other institutional investors have varied their stakes, with Longfellow Investment Management increasing its position by 51.3%.  
- Microsoft reported strong quarterly earnings, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91, reflecting a 0.8% yield.

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Element Pointe Advisors LLC Has $2.17 Million Position in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT