Microsoft (MSFT) Fell Due to Concerns About Its Relationship With OpenAI

Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund, an investment management company, released its Q3 2025 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. The Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund primarily focuses on investing in equity securities, targeting U.S. companies that have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion at the time of investment. US equities delivered solid results in the third quarter, driven by continued momentum in AI and strong corporate earnings. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut also supported the market at the end of the quarter. The fund returned 5.11% in the quarter compared to 10.51% for the Russell 1000® Growth Index and 8.12% for the S&P 500 Index. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund highlighted stocks such as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a multinational software company that develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. The one-month return of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was 0.52%, and its shares gained 11.08% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On December 24, 2025, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stock closed at $488.02 per share, with a market capitalization of $3.628 trillion.

Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund stated the following regarding Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares underperformed due to concerns about its relationship with Open AI following the Oracle/Open AI deal announcement. The Fund’s underweight position in Microsoft relative to the index contributed positively to relative returns."

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is in the second position on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 312 hedge fund portfolios held Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) at the end of the third quarter compared to 294 in the previous quarter. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported revenue of $77.7 billion, representing an 18% and 17% when adjusted for constant currency. While we acknowledge the potential of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and shared the list of AI stocks making waves on Wall Street. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q3 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.