Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Sold by Tompkins Financial Corp

Tompkins Financial Corp cut its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 1.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,714 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,296 shares during the quarter. Microsoft makes up 4.0% of Tompkins Financial Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Tompkins Financial Corp’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $57,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 2.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 315,653,206 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $117,744,959,000 after purchasing an additional 8,944,917 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 64,375,360 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $24,013,297,000 after buying an additional 543,172 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth $18,306,443,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Microsoft by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 46,694,778 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $17,418,076,000 after buying an additional 5,019,702 shares in the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Microsoft news, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $265,888,830.48. This represents a 7.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,504 shares of company stock valued at $68,138,024. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:MSFT traded down $5.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $530.61. The company had a trading volume of 26,926,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,422,492. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22. Microsoft Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $349.20 and a fifty-two week high of $559.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.94 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $516.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $440.18.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.28% and a net margin of 41.17%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Microsoft from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Microsoft from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Microsoft currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Microsoft News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s free-cash-flow position may offer some reassurance: an analysis notes that several other major AI hyperscalers are generating negative free cash flow, while Microsoft is generating positive cash flow. Is Microsoft Getting Enough Credit for Better Free Cash Flow Compared to its Peers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Microsoft plans to reduce the number of neocloud partners it uses, wind down rented AI capacity from Oracle, and declined a Texas data-center expansion with Nscale. This could help control costs and give Microsoft tighter oversight as it builds its own infrastructure, but the implications for capacity growth remain uncertain. Microsoft plans to use fewer neoclouds as AI buildout shows signs of strain
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may read the canceled or reduced AI-computing commitments as a sign that Microsoft is reassessing demand, project timing, or returns on its data-center spending. The shift comes as reports highlight construction delays and the rising cost of meeting a growing AI backlog, intensifying scrutiny of whether heavy investment will pay off. Microsoft is winding down Oracle deal to rent AI cloud capacity, Bloomberg News reports
• Negative Sentiment: Broader unease around AI spending and tech-market volatility may also weigh on MSFT, as investors question the scale of data-center investment relative to future cash returns. Microsoft and Oracle’s AI ambitions are suddenly a lot more expensive

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.

Microsoft serves customers around the world through its products, online platforms, and network of business partners.