<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of  Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - Free Report) by 47.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,488 shares of the software giant's stock after buying an additional 11,045 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for about  4.8% of Highline Wealth Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Highline Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Microsoft were worth $17,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).</p><ul><li>Microsoft Is Lagging the Market—But Its Moat May Matter More in 2026</li></ul><p>Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of  Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $9,941,000.  Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of  Microsoft by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 94,120 shares of the software giant's stock worth $46,816,000 after acquiring an additional 2,373 shares during the last quarter.  Real Talk Capital LLC boosted its holdings in  Microsoft by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Real Talk Capital LLC now owns 2,290 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $860,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period.  Bank Pictet &amp; Cie Europe AG grew its position in  Microsoft by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Pictet &amp; Cie Europe AG now owns 922,524 shares of the software giant's stock valued at $457,119,000 after acquiring an additional 33,382 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in  Microsoft by 4.3% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 285,163 shares of the software giant's stock worth $147,700,000 after purchasing an additional 11,770 shares during the period. Institutional investors own  71.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Key Stores Impacting Microsoft</h2><p>Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:</p><ul>   <li><span>Positive Sentiment: </span>Wall Street bullishness around AI: several analyst notes and forecasts position MSFT as a top AI play for 2026, with some firms modeling sizable AI‑driven upside — a driver of longer‑term investor confidence and buy ratings. <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>Institutional conviction / large allocations: reported big buys by major asset managers add credibility and liquidity to MSFT’s rally narrative (supports price floor over time). <i></i><span>Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Expansion</span></li>    <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>CEO/organizational moves to accelerate AI: Nadella is reshuffling leadership and pressing urgency on AI — could speed execution but also creates short‑term transition noise. <i></i><span>Microsoft CEO Injects ‘Sense of Urgency’ Into AI Efforts</span></li>    <li><span>Neutral Sentiment: </span>Product/monetization watch: rollout items (e.g., Xbox Cloud gaming exit from beta) and Copilot monetization remain key catalysts — progress would lift multiples, slow uptake keeps upside muted. <i></i><span>Microsoft Announces Availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming</span></li>    <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>Valuation and capex concerns: social and analyst chatter flag a premium multiple vs. growth and the risk that heavy AI infrastructure spending pressures margins — a reason some traders are trimming positions. <i></i><span>Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Expansion</span></li>    <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>OpenAI/competition worries and rising rivals: investor unease about the OpenAI partnership terms plus new challengers (e.g., xAI’s rapid expansion) raises execution and strategic risk in the near term. <i></i><span>Elon Musk Says xAI Purchased Third Building For Massive AI Expansion</span></li>    <li><span>Negative Sentiment: </span>Insider selling / profit‑taking: publicized insider sales and recent profit‑taking after a strong 2025 run may be adding downward pressure. <i></i><span>Microsoft Stock (MSFT) Opinions on AI and Cloud Expansion</span></li> </ul><h2>Microsoft Price Performance</h2><ul><li>How the Mag 7’s 2025 Laggards Could Turn Into 2026 Winners</li></ul><p>Shares of MSFT stock opened at $483.62 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $495.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $503.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.40, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $344.79 and a fifty-two 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. </p><p>Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The software giant reported $4.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.48. Microsoft had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 35.71%.The firm had revenue of $77.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $75.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. Microsoft's revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis.  As a group, equities analysts forecast that  Microsoft Corporation will post 13.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Microsoft Dividend Announcement</h2><ul><li>2 Under-the-Radar Energy Stocks to Watch for AI Demand in 2026</li></ul><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Microsoft's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.89%. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling at Microsoft</h2><p>In other 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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradford L. Smith sold 38,500 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $518.64, for a total value of $19,967,640.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 461,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $239,402,668.08. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 54,100 shares of company stock worth $27,598,872. Insiders own  0.03% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>MSFT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating and issued a $630.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co.  reissued a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on Microsoft from $630.00 to $632.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Redburn Partners  set a $560.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued  a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus target price of $631.03.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Analysis on MSFT</b></p><h2>About Microsoft</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>The Best $1 You'll Spend This Holiday Season</li><li>Holiday surprise: $1 gets you everything</li><li>America’s “most deplorable” Christmas sale</li><li>Market Panic: Trump Just Dropped a Bomb on Your Stocks</li><li>Your family's wealth expires in 2026?</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>

MSFT

<p>Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 47.1% in Q3, making it the firm's 5th largest position, valued at approximately $17.86 million. The fund now holds 34,488 shares. Other institutional investors have also adjusted their holdings, with significant increases noted. Microsoft is currently facing mixed sentiments regarding its AI initiatives and market performance, with analysts projecting a potential 30% increase in stock value driven by AI by 2026. The stock opened at $483.62, with a market cap of $3.59 trillion and a P/E ratio of 34.40.</p>

- Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Microsoft Corporation by 47.1%, owning 34,488 shares worth $17.86 million after recent purchases.  
- Other institutional investors also enhanced their holdings in Microsoft, reflecting a trend of positive sentiment towards the company's AI potential and strong quarterly performance.  
- Microsoft reported strong earnings and revenue growth, maintaining a market capitalization of $3.59 trillion with analyst ratings leaning towards "Moderate Buy."

Microsoft Corporation $MSFT is Highline Wealth Partners LLC's 5th Largest Position