5 Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaire D. E. Shaw

2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

D E Shaw’s stake value: $1.04 billion

Percentage of D E Shaw’s Portfolio: 1.22%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 258

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) produces and licences software for consumers and businesses. Microsoft is widely recognized for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity suite. The business is divided into three major divisions of similar size: productivity and business processes, intelligence cloud, and more personal computing. During Q2 2022, D E Shaw decreased its stake in the company by 11%. The fund’s total stake in the company amounted to roughly $1.04 billion, which represented 1.22% of its 13F portfolio.

Analyst John DiFucci of Guggenheim recently commenced coverage of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) with a neutral rating and a $292 price target. While DiFucci believes Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) can grow revenue and free cash flow in the mid-teens percentage points on average, led by above-consensus numbers in Azure and Office Commercial 365, he anticipates continued declines in Windows that the analyst believes are “not fully reflected in consensus estimates.” Given that Windows still accounts for about a quarter of Microsoft’s profits, DiFucci sees a balanced risk/reward at current prices.

At the end of Q2 2022, 258 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owned stakes in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Fisher Asset Management was the stock’s leading stakeholder in Q2, owning Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares worth over $7.3 billion. The fund’s position in the stock increased by 3% from Q1 2022.