Mon Jan 27 10:30:00 UTC 2025: **Microsoft (MSFT) Stock Sees Mixed Investor Activity and Analyst Ratings**

**NEW YORK, NY – February 27, 2024** – Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) experienced varied investor activity in the recent quarter, according to SEC filings. Retireful LLC decreased its holdings by 25.9%, selling 576 shares, while other institutional investors significantly increased their positions. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings by a staggering 48,526.1%, acquiring 38,422,466 shares. Ameriprise Financial Inc., Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Swiss National Bank, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. also saw increases in their Microsoft holdings, although at smaller percentages. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of MSFT stock.

Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from MarketBeat.com, and a consensus price target of $512.66. However, opinions diverge among brokerages. Wedbush and Truist Financial maintain “buy” ratings, with price targets of $550.00 and $600.00 respectively. Goldman Sachs Group downgraded its price objective from $515.00 to $500.00, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its target price to $465.00. StockNews.com upgraded its rating from “hold” to “buy”.

Microsoft reported strong Q3 earnings, exceeding analysts’ expectations with EPS of $3.30 and revenue of $65.59 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share. Meanwhile, insider trading activity saw significant sales: EVP Christopher David Young sold 7,200 shares, and EVP Judson Althoff sold 25,000 shares. In total, insiders sold 41,200 shares in the last three months.

MSFT opened at $444.06 on Monday. The stock has a 1-year low of $385.58 and a 1-year high of $468.35. The company boasts a market cap of $3.30 trillion. While analysts offer a generally positive outlook, MarketBeat suggests other stocks may offer better investment opportunities.

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