Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Acquires 2,508 Shares of Microsoft Corporation $MSFT

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA grew its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 190,060 shares of the software giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the period. Microsoft comprises 4.3% of Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $70,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MSFT. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Microsoft by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,300,016 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $857,952,000 after buying an additional 52,739 shares in the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. raised its position in Microsoft by 19.3% during the second quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 18,974 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $7,078,000 after acquiring an additional 3,071 shares in the last quarter. Van Den Berg Management I Inc. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 1.0% in the second quarter. Van Den Berg Management I Inc. now owns 27,758 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,354,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Microsoft by 139.6% in the second quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,940 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $24,597,000 after acquiring an additional 38,419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management lifted its stake in Microsoft by 0.4% in the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 15,023 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $5,604,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Microsoft Price Performance

NASDAQ MSFT opened at $524.51 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $508.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $446.17. Microsoft Corporation has a twelve month low of $349.20 and a twelve month high of $553.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.23.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The company’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.65 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.66 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.27%.

More Microsoft News

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Azure and earnings expectations remain strong. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and forecast approximately 44.8% Azure growth. Analysts expect quarterly results to be broadly in line with estimates, with Azure strength potentially offsetting heavy investment in AI infrastructure. Microsoft Stock Forecast: BofA Reaffirms Buy Ahead of Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s custom silicon and security businesses could support future cloud margins. The Maia AI accelerator and other internally developed chips may reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve cost control and retain more economics from Microsoft’s AI services. Investors are also watching whether security growth helps offset data-center expenses. Microsoft: Security And Silicon Set The Stage For Cloud Margin Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Medical AI results add another potential growth opportunity. Microsoft’s MAI-DxO reportedly diagnosed complex cases more than twice as often as general physicians in a simulation, strengthening the company’s positioning in healthcare AI, although commercialization and regulatory hurdles remain. Microsoft develops AI tool that can diagnose sequentially like a doctor
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is a major near-term catalyst. Investors will focus on Azure growth, Copilot adoption, AI monetization, capital expenditures, backlog conversion and management’s outlook. The stock is trading near its yearly high, raising expectations for a strong forecast. Microsoft’s Earnings Problem: Even Great May Not Be Enough
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending and market conditions could pressure valuation and margins. Investors have recently sold some technology shares when companies raised infrastructure budgets, while a weaker overall market and higher oil prices have added volatility. Microsoft’s large data-center investment must translate into revenue growth to justify the spending. Microsoft Earnings Report To Focus On AI Momentum, Capex
• Negative Sentiment: Operational and product concerns remain. Microsoft withdrew from a U.K. data-center deal because of power-delivery delays, and Xbox cloud-streaming price changes have generated customer friction. Former CEO Bill Gates has also warned about AI safety risks, potentially increasing regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft pulls out of UK Nscale data centre deal over power delay

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Microsoft from $525.00 to $675.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Microsoft from $540.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Forty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,188,276.96. This trade represents a 10.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.42, for a total transaction of $3,984,293.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 555,396 shares in the company, valued at $302,924,086.32. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 150,314 shares of company stock valued at $75,404,992 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.