<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Argent Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of  Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 486,428 shares of the software giant's stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises approximately  6.9% of Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $251,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.</p><ul><li>Microsoft Is Lagging the Market—But Its Moat May Matter More in 2026</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its holdings in  Microsoft by 51.3% in the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 59 shares of the software giant's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period.  Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of  Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000.  Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 386.7% in the 2nd quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period.  University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in shares of  Microsoft in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,000.  Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of  Microsoft during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own  71.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Insider Activity at Microsoft</h2><p>In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 12,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,577,620.48. This trade represents a 8.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 2,850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.72, for a total value of $1,364,352.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 55,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,703,959.04. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders. </p><h2>Microsoft News Roundup</h2><ul><li>How the Mag 7’s 2025 Laggards Could Turn Into 2026 Winners</li></ul><p>Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:</p><ul>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>CEO-led shakeup to accelerate AI execution — reports say Satya Nadella reorganized senior leadership to inject urgency into Microsoft’s AI push, a move investors view as supportive for faster Copilot/Azure monetization. <i></i><span>Microsoft CEO Injects ‘Sense of Urgency’ Into AI Efforts</span></li>    <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Wall Street bullish on 2026 AI upside — several analyst notes and forecasts point to a large AI-driven revenue lift (one headline cites a ~30% upside scenario), supporting investor optimism about multiple expansion if AI monetization becomes visible. <i></i><span>Microsoft Stock Forecast: Why Wall Street Sees a 30% AI-Fueled Jump for MSFT in 2026</span></li>    <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Copilot / Dynamics 365 &amp; Azure adoption remain tangible growth levers — Dynamics 365 and Copilot adoption are cited as drivers of enterprise seat upgrades and cloud consumption, underpinning recurring revenue and higher ARPU potential. <i></i><span>Can Microsoft Stock Rally on Dynamics 365 Business Applications?</span></li>    <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Xbox Cloud Gaming exits beta — cloud gaming availability for Game Pass subscribers can broaden engagement and recurring revenue in Microsoft’s gaming segment (service-led monetization vs. one-time hardware cycles). <i></i><span>Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Announces Availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming</span></li>    <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>Policy and hiring tailwinds — new federal bill (AI Talent Act) aims to streamline AI hiring across agencies; long term this could ease talent constraints for cloud/AI vendors but has limited near-term revenue impact. <i></i><span>New Bill: Representative Sara Jacobs introduces H.R. 6573: AI Talent Act</span></li>    <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>ESG recognition may broaden buyer base — Microsoft shows up on 2026 ESG stock lists, which can attract allocation from sustainability-focused funds but is not a primary earnings driver. <i></i><span>3 ESG Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio for Sustainable Returns in 2026</span></li>    <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>High AI capex and spending scrutiny — analysts are questioning whether massive AI investments across the Magnificent Seven will pressure free cash flow and near-term margins; this keeps upside tied to visible monetization of AI features. <i></i><span>Buy Stock in the Mag 7 Hyperscalers or Are They Spending Too Much?</span></li>    <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>Hardware supply issues risk gaming timing — “RAMpocalypse” reports indicate potential delays for next-gen consoles, which could push Xbox hardware revenue further out (though Microsoft’s services exposure cushions the impact). <i></i><span>What the RAMpocalypse Means for Sony’s PlayStation 6 &amp; Microsoft’s (MSFT) Next Xbox</span></li> </ul><h2>Microsoft Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of NASDAQ MSFT opened at $487.54 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $495.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $504.01. Microsoft Corporation has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a market cap of $3.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. </p><ul><li>2 Under-the-Radar Energy Stocks to Watch for AI Demand in 2026</li></ul><p>Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $77.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.49 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 35.71% and a return on equity of 32.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share.  As a group, analysts anticipate that  Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Microsoft Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued 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 0.7%. Microsoft's payout ratio is presently 25.89%. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>MSFT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Melius Research raised their price objective on Microsoft from $595.00 to $625.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Microsoft from $630.00 to $600.00 and set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Microsoft from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Wells Fargo &amp; Company upped their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $675.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, DZ Bank  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned  a Buy rating and four have issued  a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $631.03.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on MSFT</b></p><h2>Microsoft Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>Microsoft's product portfolio includes the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity and collaboration tools (Office apps, Outlook, Teams).</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Microsoft</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>The Crash Has Already Started (Most Just Don’t See It Yet)</li><li>ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before January 2026!</li><li>[No Brainer Gold Play]: “Show me a better investment.”</li><li>INVESTOR ALERT: Tiny “$3 AI Wonder Stock” on the Verge of Blasting Off</li></ul><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>Argent Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 0.9% in Q3, now holding 486,428 shares valued at approximately $251.9 million. This makes Microsoft its largest holding, comprising 6.9% of its portfolio. Other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions, with notable increases in holdings by Longfellow Investment Management and Westend Capital Management. Additionally, insider sales were reported, including CEO Judson Althoff selling 12,750 shares. Overall, institutional investors own 71.13% of Microsoft stock.</p>

- Argent Capital Management LLC reduced its Microsoft Corporation shares by 0.9%, owning 486,428 shares after selling 4,200 during Q3, valued at $251,945,000.  
- Various institutional investors increased their stakes in Microsoft, emphasizing significant bullish support and a forecast for a possible 30% revenue lift from AI in 2026.  
- Microsoft reported strong earnings of $4.13 per share for Q4, exceeding estimates, with a quarterly revenue of $77.67 billion, highlighting robust financial performance amid ongoing market developments.

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Argent Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Microsoft Corporation $MSFT